Still going strong

Their heads are buzzing with a duelling mix of confidence and nerves. Their bodies are fatigued. And their hearts are determined to thrust them across the finish line on June 17. The last time we checked on them, our Manitoba Marathoners were dealing with all kinds of chaos.

 Corey Gallagher and Ramona Turner battled painful injuries. Mike Booth, a new business owner, had to contend with 14-hour workdays.  Meanwhile, Kris Wood was grieving the death of a family member and the loss of her job.

 Nevertheless, the foursome is still going strong.

 We recently asked them some questions about their marathon training. Here’s what they had to say: Any changes to your training regimen since we last talked?

 WOOD: "I’m just waiting to get into a sports therapist as we speak and see what we can do," says Wood, who had a small "hiccup" recently when her knee "just completely locked up—froze" during the tail end of a four-hour run. That means she’ll lay off the running and switch to pool running until her injury heals.

 TURNER: "We’ve basically done the big runs now," says Turner, who will switch to training runs that cover less distance.

 GALLAGHER: "I’m back working out for the most part. I’m just not doubling my workouts anymore," says Gallagher, who is recovering from a groin injury.

 BOOTH: "Just more running than before. Just getting more volume in."

Do you feel prepared for the race?

WOOD: "I’m in the best shape of my life," says Wood, who refuses to let her recent knee injury keep her down. "Even if I can’t run for a couple of weeks, I won’t lose that much."

 TURNER: "I think so," says Turner, who admits a recent hard run in 26 C heat has her secondguessing herself. "I’m a little worried that I need some more heat training to make it a good race."

 GALLAGHER: "Not as prepared as I was before. But I’m confident I can still pull it together and have a decent performance. I think I can fight through the pain."

 BOOTH: "Normally when I am in a marathon I am in great shape and it’s "something I dedicated my every waking hour to," says Booth, who is busy tending to his less-than-a-year old business.

 "It’s kind of weird feeling going into a marathon not necessarily feeling like you’ve done everything you can."

 What kind of physical pain are you in?

WOOD: "I don’t have any pain. I just have a frozen, locked knee."

 TURNER: "Not too bad. My ankle was bugging me. It still bugs me a little but. I went to see a physiotherapist. That helped a lot."

 GALLAGHER: "My groin is still a little sore but now it’s my lower back because everything is a little tight."

 BOOTH: "I’m pretty good. I’m (mildly) sore on a daily basis."

How are you caring for your injuries?

WOOD: "Ice and a foam roller. Sunday night got up every hour to ice my knee."

 TURNER: "Ice and heat. Physiotherapy. Anything I can get my hands on," says Turner, who took a dip in a cold lake during the long weekend to soothe her running aches.

 GALLAGHER: "Lots of stretching, ice baths, Aleve or Advil, physio and massages."

 BOOTH: "Regular massage. Chiro. I feel like I’ve been doing that a bit better than in the past."

 How do you balance your running with work and the rest of your life?

 WOOD: "My life right now is running and swimming and working out," says Wood, who relies on her husband and 16-year-old daughter for moral support. "They are so excited for me. They see me come home and they see the accomplishment on my face just from a training run."

 TURNER: "I have two wonderful teenage daughters and a husband. They are all very supportive of my running. The girls really pick up making supper and they are all very excited for this."

 GALLAGHER: "It was nice to have a long weekend, nice to have the extra rest," says Gallagher, who usually treks a lot during his shifts as a mail carrier. "Work put me on easier routes with less walking."

 BOOTH: I fit in running at 8 and 10 at night. It’s kind of difficult. When you finish your whole work day you don’t necessarily want to go to the gym," says Booth. Yet, he also manages get out for drinks with friends regularly. "That hinders the training a little bit."

 Do you listen to music when you’re running?

 WOOD: "On my long solo runs, yes," says Wood, who borrowed a 10-year-old’s Ipod on a recent run. "There was Disney music and every now and then there was a rock song. It made me laugh and it made me enjoy everything so much more."

 TURNER: "Music gives me a little bit of a boost," says Turner, noting that she loves to listen to songs from the television hit Glee — particularly the show’s Queen and Journey covers.

 GALLAGHER: "Never. It distracts the mind too much. I try to stay focused on how the body feels, how my mechanics are moving, how my breathing is. I try to stay in tune with everything— especially now, with all my little booboos."

 BOOTH: "I don’t. No music. (Easy runs are a) time to relax and have my thoughts to myself."

 What’s your proudest training accomplishment?

 WOOD: "I’, proud of everything. I’m just happy that I can do it. I’m so happy I have two legs.

 Every long run for me is a huge accomplishment."

 TURNER: "Finishing those long runs. Those 20 and 23 miles were pretty huge."

 GALLAGHER: "That I am able to punch through all the workouts. Just how much I’ve been doing on my off days. I’ve been sticking with it and trying to get healthy."

 BOOTH: "Being able to drag myself out there at 8 and 9 at night when a lot of people would sit on the couch instead."

 Have an interesting story you’d like Shamona to write about? Contact her at shamona.harnett@freepress.mb.ca