I am now officially on The Road To Florence, having completed the first run—a three-mile trip heading south from Foster Avenue along the lakefront—as part of the National AIDS Marathon Training Program ( NAMTP ) .
There were about 120 of us, ready to embark on the experience of a lifetime—training for a 26.2-mile marathon on Nov. 25 in Italy, or a full or half-marathon in Las Vegas on Dec. 2 in Las Vegas.
I started my run last Saturday with Group Four after predicting I'd finish at about a 12-minute-per-mile pace. I got to the halfway point, where NAMTP's Frank stood on the side of the course in his bright yellow shirt to tell us runners to turn around and head back the same 1.5 miles we just ran, and actually was shocked to see Frank. I thought I had just run one mile at that point, not 1.5. I was feeling great; I wasn't tired or huffing and puffing at all.
I walked for about 30 seconds, and then started running again for half a mile or more, and … ouch!
I felt pain in my right ankle—so much so that I couldn't run anymore, no matter how much I tried. Heck, walking was enough of a chore at this point. So now I have to see a specialist about my sore ankle.
To sponsor, visit www.aidsmarathon.com . Then, on the right-hand side, click the Sponsor A Runner check.
Thanks for your support,
Ross.