Apples, oranges, skin and bones

Now that the Denver marathon has become a warm and fuzzy memory for me, being 10 days in the past, I am still feeling the effects. It is painfully clear to me-- riding your bike 100 miles vs. running 26.2 is like comparing apples with oranges. Though the fabled century is oft equated with a marathon, in fact, it is more like a walk in the park by comparison. If you can live with a little peripheral neuropathy and some deep fatigue, the impact the bike ride has is minimal. But I am finding that this bag of bones I inhabit suffers mightily from the pounding the marathon gave me. Of course I could have been more well prepared and had I not run under adverse conditions I might not have been quite as beat up, but still, the invariant nature of repetitive foot strikes for so many hours exacts a toll.

One of the things I did to prepare for the marathon was lose weight (~25 pounds) over about a six month period. A remarkable outcome from this was that my skin is now baggy! As evidenced in the accompanying photo, my leg is just a loose skin wrapped rag! My chest is sunken, I feel skinny and still fat. It's kinda weird. I may have to lose another 25 pounds to lose the love handles, the last to go. I suppose I need to start hitting the weights, or something! My supreme challenge now that autumn is upon us, the leaves are on the lawn and the days are growing ever shorter. I am determined to commute as far into the winter as I can, but know my days are numbered. I have a new bright light and lots of flashers and reflective visible clothing, but the looming winter bodes ill for the daily ride. Perhaps I could take up spinning. And its not just the decrease in activity, but truly, its the holiday eating that is sure to do me in. no, no, no! say it ain't so. I weighed 204 Wednesday before the marathon. My lowest weight for the last ~30 years. Monday post marathon = 212. Today I weighed in at 205. my goal is to weigh 185 by the time I celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary on May 21st. Make it so!