Training for Florence: Hills, Watermelon and Yvan Cournyer

By Ross Forman

    

    Hills, watermelon and Yvan Cournyer ... welcome (back) to my week of training for the 2007 Florence Marathon on Nov. 25.

 

    I ran last week while out of town with my friend Dell, who will be celebrating his 60th birthday next month and has 19 marathons under his belt. His 20th will be this December in Honolulu. We ran about 6 miles in one hour, including some painful hills. OK, they weren't really hills, more like inclines, but when you're not used to them, they can be tough. And they were. Nonetheless, Dell didn't mind running my slower-than-his-normal pace, and it was enjoyable for both of us to have someone to run with.

 

    I ran this past Saturday, August 25, in Chicago, and did my longest run ever: 14 miles, finishing in 2:36. I ran with a faster pace-group than normal and for most of the way it was just Richard, Kimberly and myself. Our coach from the National AIDS Marathon Training Program (NAMTP), Katie, joined us for the first five miles or so. And for much of that time, the four of us played the Name Game. I, for instance, would start by saying, "Frank Sinatra," and the next person then would have to name a celebrity whose name started with "S." What a great way to pace the miles ... until I got "Y."  But actually it wasn't too tough, as I said, 'Yvan Cournyer," the former Montreal Canadiens hockey player who was my all-time favorite player. I'm sure the other three probably thought I was making that one up.

 

    As I've said before, my favorite post-run snack is Rice Krispie treats. Second-place on that list is watermelon, and Richard's home-made banana bread this week was damn-good. Thanks.

 

    I'll be running 8 miles on Saturday, then will be doing16 miles the following Saturday while in San Francisco. Less than three months to go, wow!

 

    My marathon training is part of the National AIDS Marathon Training Program (NAMTP), to raise funds for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Would you please consider sponsoring your favorite writing-runner and help the AIDS Foundation of Chicago in the process?  Please go to my website (www.firstgiving.com/rossruns) while I run to Florence, Italy.  Thanks,

 

Ross.

  

Ross Forman (who isn't spending much time with Ronald McDonald these days since he's training for the marathon) can be reached at: Rossco814@aol.com

#12: On the Run - August 20, 2007

By Ross Forman

    For years while playing hockey and baseball, I wore uniform No. 12.

 

    I never thought I'd run 12 miles.

 

    But I did, without pain or problems.

 

    I did the 12-mile journey August 18 along the lakefront in Chicago.

 

    I'll be doing 14 miles this upcoming Saturday, then dropping down to eight miles on Sept.1 for a recovery run.

 

    Gosh, now, eight miles sounds and seems so easy.

 

    Well, maybe I shouldn't say that just yet.

 

    My marathon training is part of the National AIDS Marathon Training Program (NAMTP), to raise funds for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Would you please consider sponsoring your favorite writing-runner and help the AIDS Foundation of Chicago in the process?  Please go to my website (www.firstgiving.com/rossruns) while I run to Florence, Italy.  Thanks,

 

Ross

    Ross Forman can be reached at: Rossco814@aol.com

On the Run to Florence - August 14, 2007

 

By Ross Forman

 

    Well, I did my first double-digit run.

 

    I ran 10-miles on Saturday, August 11, finishing in 2:02.

 

    Only 16.2-miles on top of that and I'll have a full marathon done ... ugh.

 

    I would have finished in under two hours had my running group - with our 12-minute-per-mile pace-group - not stopped for a couple bathroom breaks and taken a little longer at the Gatorade stops than we probably should have.

 

    Oh well, I finished and felt great. No foot problems, no stamina problems.

 

    I'll be running 12-miles this upcoming Saturday, August 18, along the lakefront, starting at Foster Avenue and heading south-bound.

 

    In addition to the Saturday group-runs, I also run two or three times during the week, each time for 45- or 55-minutes, give or take.

 

    I really enjoy the Saturday runs because someone else manages the time. I'm not monitoring the watch every few minutes, to keep on our 4:1 run:walk ratio. During the week, when I'm running solo, I'm checking my trusty Timex every few minutes, and then I actually run at a 5:1 pace.

 

    After this week's 12-mile journey, I'll do 14 miles next week, then drop down to an 8-mile recovery run on Sept. 1, which actually could be quite a challenge since I'll be running in Denver. Actually, I'll be running in Denver with my friend Chuck, if he doesn't mind my slower pace than his norm.

 

    My marathon training is part of the National AIDS Marathon Training Program (NAMTP), to raise funds for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Would you please consider sponsoring your favorite writing-runner and help the AIDS Foundation of Chicago in the process.  Please go to my website (www.firstgiving.com/rossruns) while I run to Florence, Italy. 

 

Thanks,

Ross.

 

    Ross Forman can be reached at: Rossco814@aol.com