Cyndi has agreed to be my trainer for the half marathon. We have known each other for years. I’m very fortunate as she knows her stuff. Tomorrow she will run in the NYC marathon. This will be just one of well over a dozen she has participated in. She has completed the Boston Marathon three times. My training also happens to begin tomorrow. This gives her 44 weeks to whip me into shape.
Coach Cyndi has picked out a program titled “How to Begin a Running Program from Ground Zero” to help me get into condition. I intend to begin at week #7. Here is the schedule for the week (R-run, W=walk).
Sun R2-W28, Mon rest, Tue R3-W27, Wed rest, Thu R4-W26, Fri rest, Sat W30.
I talked with the surgeon who fixed my hernia and he encouraged me to run. My goal is to just get into shape over the winter and begin a distance training program in the Spring. Each year I get a physical in early summer so I’ll check again with that doc before doing anything really strenuous.
One other item that coach seems really keen on is my shoes and socks. Fortunately, I’ve just thrown out an old pair of walking shoes and had planned on buying a new pair anyway. For years I’ve been wearing Reebok Classic. They are comfy and cheap. I’m guessing I’ll be spending a bit more on my next pair. Joe has repeatedly pointed out that shoes often cause injury. There was an article in the New York Times recently titled “The Human Body Is Built for Distance” that somewhat confirms Joe’s opinion. I’ll admit to having mixed feelings on the topic. Joe has sent me several interesting articles that lend credence to his view. Coach on the other hand has the real life experience of doing it over a period of years. I’ll begin by doing what coach suggests but listen closely to my own body.
Apparently the shoes need to be longer than I would typically buy for myself and I have to worry about how efficient my biomechanics are (degree of pronation.) My arch is rather high but I think it would still fall into the range considered normal. The socks are easy. “Cotton kills” is the mantra of runners and anyone who sweats. I’ve heard that before when Jeanie and I were guided up Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. Our guide told of people dying of exposure due to cotton. It doesn’t wick properly. Me in nylons? I’d have never guessed. 
I had to smile as we looked at various shoes in Dorsey’s shop. It was apparent that Dave had NEVER spent so much time looking for a new pair of shoes in his life. It was challenging to get him to try them on and LEAVE them on for more than a few minutes. I also couldn’t seem to get him to try running in them up and back in the parking lot to see how they would do. He settled on a pair and I have my fingers crossed there won’t be any issues.
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