My name is Heather (Nichols) Knight, a former Hillcrest High School distance runner. Although, while I am getting ready to run my first marathon, a 5K cross country course doesn’t seem like so much distance anymore. I am three weeks away from the big day and about to begin my tapering. I will be keeping a journal of my experiences/training from now until (and slightly beyond) my race. I will be running the Nike’s Women’s Marathon in San Francisco with Team in Training on Oct. 19.
Sept. 30 interview with Knight
Oct. 6 journal entry
Oct. 9 journal entry
Oct. 13
Monday, Monday! Less than seven days left! After resting for two days, I ran about eight miles on Saturday with a little over six of them around marathon pace (or what I hope marathon pace to be). I felt OK. Friday I started to feel a little under-the-weather, and then Saturday I was a little more tired than I should have been. I rested the rest of the day on Saturday and got a good night sleep. I felt better on Sunday and biked easy to yoga and back. Thirty-minutes of biking this morning and then some rolling and stretching later tonight. Tomorrow morning I will do some quick 400s -- hopefully shaking some of the nerves out.
Oct. 14
Five days left! I got in 5 x 400 meters this morning. My hip was bothering me so I stopped short of what I wanted to do (six). It’s not hurting too much right now, so hopefully less mileage this week will help. I really need to start packing tonight. I was going to start Sunday, and then yesterday…definitely going to start tonight.
Oct. 15
I packed a few things last night and realize that I am going to have to repack tonight and get rid of a some things. The weather is so different there, I’m not sure what to bring! This morning was my last bike workout with this training (30 minutes easy). I felt good and am starting to have a hard time holding back on my workouts. I’m not used to taking it easy/short for this long. Tomorrow I will do three miles at MP and then maybe a short jog the day before the race (Saturday).
Oct. 16
I’ve been fighting some sort of cold the past week or so, but hopefully the end is near. My run this morning was OK. I think it might be nerves, but ‘marathon pace’ seems harder than it should right now. My leg/hip felt a little better this morning, but it takes a few minutes to get it warmed up. I feel like my gait has changed slightly (at least in the beginning of my run) from running with this injury for so long (something I will hopefully never do again). I’m sure by Sunday, I will feel normal. This time tomorrow, I will be on my way to San Francisco! I can’t believe it’s already here. Unfortunately, I have not received any of my TNT gear/tickets for this weekend. I will have to get everything from our coordinators once I arrive in SF. I don’t even know if my jersey fits! I’ve got to go finish packing and get some rest!