I went to see the sports medicine doctor yesterday because my knee still really hurt. She gave me another injection this time with some cortisone in it. The shot made that area even more sore so today I decided to take it easy while the inflammation goes down.I feel a little guilty not running but I don't think it will make a big difference in my training. I figure that the extra rest will help more.

So, I'm still reading the ChiRunning book and the author discusses marathons and training for them. He said he asks his clients, "So, you want to run a marathon? Great! What year do you want to run it in?" Yikes! I knew going into this that the training would be hard but the ChiRunning author says it can take up to a few years for your body to adjust to the long mileage. Well, now you tell me! Oh well. Although I have some minor wear and tear going on, the doctor doesn't seem concerned about it so I won't worry yet.

The other thing I found out was that the race has a limit of 7 hours! That's when they start opening the roads up again and tearing down the course and finish line. Now, the book I'm using for my training, The Non-Runner's Marathon Handbook, says the only goal for a first time marathoner should be to finish. So, I'm breaking the one major rule they have in that I do have a time limit. But, I figured out that I could run 17 minute miles and still finish on time. Currently, I average about 13 minute miles (yes, I'm very slow!) so I should be able to finish within the time limit. Still, it would be nice to think that I had all the time in the world to drag myself across the finish line.