Yesterday the weather forecast for today was pretty dire. I figured, despite my overwhelming desire to run, that it was for the best because my knees were still a little sore. When I woke up this morning, I thought I heard the guy say the storms were going to clear out for the morning. I got up, and double-checked online, and there wasn't much of a window before more storms were due. I sat here all day, while not a drop of rain fell, watching the radar swirl around our town. I saw a Runner's World post about a guy who started running in April and is running a half marathon next month. Finally, when the SUN CAME OUT, I said that's enough, I'm running and I am finishing this thing. I don't care how deep zen I have to go, or if I have to walk, or what, I am finishing it.
So, on the heels of my day's food intake of a mt dew, some Mexi featloaf (faux veggie meatloaf), some triple chocolate cookie dough, some triple chocolate cookies, and a bit of water, I pulled on my compression pants and set out. I knew the school kids were going to be out, but I didn't care. This was, finally, it. Plus, I literally have not been out of the house since my last run, last Thursday, a week ago.
I quickly switched my mp3 from "Recovery" to Random, and set off. I was terrified of how my knees would react. The right knee is still a little sensitive, but I've been getting up and down the stairs without any difficulty the last couple of days. As I ran down the alley, my ankle tweaked and I had another quick shot of pain (I don't even remember what it was, lol), but my knees seemed to be okay. Yay!
My run was pretty uneventful. I had a great start, got winded running down the main road, kept working on slowing myself down. I really worked hard to go super slow over and over again. Instead of praising myself for how far I was making it, I kept telling myself I had just started. My shoulder/neck started hurting while I was running...in the interest of getting this in before some alleged storms started up, I didn't stretch my neck and shoulders as well as I normally do. Sigh.
As I ran around the post office, where I have been getting inexplicably exhausted, the Poison version of "Don't Mess Around With Jim" came up on the mp3. I love that song, and I am addicted to running to Poison. No troubles at all today.
Thankfully, the worms weren't nearly as bad as I expected after last night's storms. There were a couple giant ones though, YUCK. Seriously. Part of the reason I wore the pants today was so I wouldn't have to exert extra energy to avoid worms and mud and overgrown grass. Just plow right through it. Um, but as I splashed down in a big puddle on the other side of the post office, I quickly remembered my shoes aren't exactly waterproof. Thankfully, they didn't get too squishy. I have magic socks maybe. I did slide in the mud in several spots. I'm apparently graceful enough to stay upright, and I hope it stays that way.
As I was running down the last block I completed on my last run, David Bowie was on the mp3. I love Bowie, but I almost skipped for a faster song, except for the amusement of Bowie singing (to me, obviously), "If you say run, I'll run with you." :) Oh, D-Bow, we are running today. I was also thinking about ultramarathoners. I mean, really. I can't finish a 5K and those people run 24+ hours in crazy conditions? YOU. GOT. THIS.
I zoomed past my last stop and hauled on down the street. Again, I had changed my route over a block so that I would avoid the most drastic hills. This whole route truly goes by some of the most amazing old houses I have seen. I was coming up on a couple of sets of walkers. The first girl and toddler got over for me and were friendly. I really didn't want to exert extra energy to be friendly, but there were people everywhere, and they were being nice for once. I zoomed past the next walker, who happened to be wearing a No Doubt shirt which, basically, just caught my eye as I went past.
Alright, it's getting serious now. I have gone up a hill, which is the milder equivalent of the big hill that kills me a block over. I have a little bit of level-ish ground, then a big downhill, decent uphill, then it's flat the rest of the way. My plan is to make it to the bottom of the hill, and walk up the hill. It'll be about a block, time to get my self together, and then I'll kill this thing. My throat was absolutely burning. It wasn't really my lungs, it was my throat, and it got to the point where it almost felt like I had just puked, which in turn got me feeling queasy. Meanwhile, I'm going up and over this level-ish ground, and as I see the downhill, you won't believe it. Seriously. School pick-up traffic. I have never seen so much traffic. Of course they were all just sitting there, essentially parked. Well, I can't freaking stop running in front of all these people! Hmm...maybe this would make an actual race easier - peer pressure to keep going. Anyway, I made it up the hill I had planned to walk up. By the time I got to the top, I was out of the traffic, and, yeah, even though I told myself I'd regret once AGAIN stopping my run at the top of a hill, I did it. I had run 21 minutes at this point.
I walked farther than I wanted to, all the way around the block. I just couldn't get my breath back. It was probably for the best, though, because there was something all over the ground that I surely would have twisted my ankle on - maybe persimmons? I didn't pick one up to taste. My Mom gave me a persimmon once to eat and my entire mouth went numb. I have never experienced anything like it, and I'm terrified of them now. Anyway, I am almost positive I started running again as soon as I got around the block, but, as you'll see, I had a lot to remember today, and I opted not to carry a pen. I had walked for about 3 minutes and .32K (.2m).
Now, of course, I have to run past the other side of the school. This side had less parental traffic, but the kids were all lined up to get on the buses on this side. It was a mess, for sure. The bottoms of my feet hurt when I started running again. That's new. I only managed about 5 minutes of running this time (about 3 big blocks).
I'm not used to going down this street, in this direction, so I was trying to keep track of my times, the streets, catch my breath, and hopefully run again. I was somewhat aware that there were some people standing around a truck in the street, but I wasn't paying any attention. All of a sudden there was what I will judgementally call "hillbilly screaming." You know, the type you hear on "Cops," when the drunk old guy doesn't have any teeth? Yeah, so I looked over. This guy had somehow dropped more cash than I have ever seen in the middle of the street. The woman standing next to him had bent down to help "stop it from blowin' away" and I thought he was going to backhand her across on to my sidewalk. He didn't want "that bitch touchin" his money because you "can't trust her." All I'm saying is that if I were a little less winded and a lot more fast, I'd be running down the street like I stole it. Literally. I had been walking for about 2 minutes (.24K/.15m) when I realized I was a block from the street I was going to turn to go home on? Too good to be true!!!
So off I go, and for the first time ever, Gwen Stefani came up on the mp3 player. I love Gwen. And I was definitely stoked to wrap this up with a little "Hollaback Girl." (How weird is it that I saw a chick in a No Doubt shirt on this run?) OK, I am so close to home, and it's downhill. But, my throat was KILLING me. I tried to push through it, and I did for awhile. I couldn't slow myself down, and it felt just like there was puke actively in my throat (there wasn't), so I stopped at the next intersection. Stupid. Looking back, now, I'm not sure why I couldn't finish this out. I was about two blocks from home. I had only run about 3 minutes.
Even if I wanted to run again, there was no way I could remember anymore times or intersections! So, I walked the .22K (.14m) home in about 3 minutes, and finished with a time of 36:55!!! I think my original goal was 45 minutes, then 40 minutes. My goal is to eventually get it below 30, but I knew with my race predictor hitting around 40 minutes, that this was a great time!! I was stoked! And after taking a week off to heal, after several bad runs! I had collapsed in the family room, still with my ear buds and shoes on (too exhausted to deal with them), while I scribbled my times down. All together, I ran 29 minutes - my longest run being 30 minutes previously. This was great!! I still want to run the whole thing, but this was a victory. I announced my triumph on Facebook, then settled in for a much needed Victory shower.
My knees held up great. They were a little sore, and my ankles were a little sore, my shoulder was a little sore, and I have a blister on the bottom of my right foot. Overall, it wasn't too bad and I didn't ice anything today.
I sat down to get my measurements, and fill out my spreadsheet. I was collecting congratulations from my Facebook friends. They didn't care that it took me 121 days, or that I walked .78K (.49m). For some reason, I decided to re-measure my whole route. Usually I just use the google maps "map," but today I decided to set it to "hybrid" and actually measure down the sidewalks. It shouldn't make any significant difference, I just wanted to do it this way today. Now, wait - why is it showing that I ran 4.67K (2.9m)? That cannot be right. At one point, I had made my route end a little farther up the alley, but I know I changed that. OK, let me set it to map, and just use that setting to measure. 4.75K/2.95m. I sat back, in total confusion.
Oh my bleepity bleepity bleeping bleep bleep bleeper. Remember how I changed my route? I still ran a Figure 8, but I moved the bottom loop a block narrower. So, um, picture an 8 on a popsicle stick. At the point where I walked around the block, I was actually supposed to go about a block and a half in the other direction, then turn, and re-trace my steps, and finish off the persimmon block. I cannot believe as obsessively as I have looked at my walk/run times, and I always double-checked my original route, that I screwed this up. I was shattered. If it helps, I would've gotten it wrong last time, too, if I had even made it that far.
SO. I still haven't run or even run/walked the stupid 5K. I almost went back out for another run, I'm not even kidding. I was crazed. I had planned a two day rest after completing the 5K. I have every intention of running tomorrow (the weather is supposed to be less stupid tomorrow anyway). Unbelievable. I need some Ginkgo.
OK, so here's the rundown, if you will.
Weather: 72, Partly Cloudy, 8mph wind, 89% Humidity (no heat index)
Time: 3p; Run 21, Walk 3, Run 5, Walk 2, Run 3, Walk 3
Distance: 4.67K (2.9m) (longest to date, of course)
Elevation: +75.5/-75.1/net +.4 ft
5K/10K: 39:45/1:24:01 (shew, still under 40! Not one of my best times, though)
Run Time: 29 Minutes
Distance: 3.89K (2.41m) (The distance is just short of the 30 minute-run distance, although the predictor was a full minute faster today)
5K/10K: 38:02/1:20:24 (7th place)
I ended up walking .78K/.49m, or about 17% of the total distance. OK, I suppose I'll alert my facebook friends? Next time, I'll try to remember to finish the route...I have never claimed to be fully alert during a run!!
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