Today I ran 15 miles... and I feel fine. That's the farthest I've ever run, and in fact the farthest I will run before the Half Marathon in April. From here on in, the distances get shorter. I don't question the experts... I just do. Gordon hasn't been wrong yet.
I think today's the day I'm going to accept and acknowledge the change. I'm now a runner. I'm addicted to running. I don't want a week without running. I want to keep going. I don't even care about the Marathon any more. I care about when my next run is going to be.
Not to say today wasn't without some challenges. You should know, I'm still a jackass at times. So, it was 48 degrees out today and I thought that meant I should wear a tank top and shorts. JACK-ASS. I get hot really easily when I'm running and there's nothing worse than roasting unnecessarily, and I hate tying things around my waist when I've already got this big hydration belt on.
So, basically, I wore the same outfit out today that I wore in the sweltering heat of Miami a few weeks ago! Everybody else in the Park was fully covered, probably 1/2 of the runners were wearing gloves and hats. I got plenty of stares from runners and just regular people walking through the Park... in their down parkas and fur hats!
I considered turning around before the end of the first mile and going home to get some layers; but I was afraid I'd feel the warmth of the apartment and not return outside - so I sucked it up. I told myself I'd warm up from the exertion, the sun was only going to get stronger, and anyway - being cold wasn't going to kill me, so I would just have to push through it. That worked for about 12.1 miles and then I decided to go inside and finish the last 2.9 on the treadmill in my building. Not only because I was so cold (it only warmed up to 51 degrees but still felt like freaking 30 to me) but because my skin was so chafed it was bleeding... When I hit the 12th mile, I just felt totally overwhelmed by the distance, the bleeding, and being grateful that I was in a lot better shape at 12 miles than I'd been two weeks ago when I went for 14. The Rihanna song "Disturbia" was on the iPod and provided the perfect emotional backdrop for the tears; I actually played it twice because I wasn't done crying yet!
So this is what happened with the bleeding. When you're that cold, the fatty parts of your body, which have more water, freeze. Lunch lady dangler arms and inner thighs were particularly vulnerable today because they had no protection. My running shorts were also really short, so with every step, my frozen thighs were brushing against each other... hyper exfoliating, until there wasn't any skin left to smooth down. When my inner thighs started bleeding - I figured that was probably the moment... Not to quit, but to roll with it and adjust. I didn't want it to get so bad I'd be scabby.
I ran to my building "off the clock" so the traffic wouldn't mess up my mileage and time, but I also didn't let myself cool down. Before going to the gym, I stopped at my apt and slathered on a thick layer of Body Glide between my legs and on my arms. I don't think the Body Glide did anything - I kept chafing anyway - but it felt good to be in the warm building at least so I'm glad I came in.
My overall time was much slower than I'd hoped for. I was going for a pace of 12:12, which was my 14 mile pace. And the funny thing is, I thought I was running pretty fast today! Maybe the cold kept me stiffer, so my stride was shorter? Anyway, I'll trade pace for recovery time any day, so I'm not upset. Also, the last few miles were very mechanical. Probably starting with mile 8, I began to be able to just "go" and not think so hard about remembering not to stop! That's sort of what happens for the first 8... if I don't pay attention, my body will stop. My only job is to keep reminding it - we are going now... Go!
After my run, I didn't do the ice bath - you can guess why! Instead I soaked briefly in hot water. I had about a cup of protein drink too, and some water. Then I was supposed to meet up with friends for a picnic in the Park - but it was too cold (! no kidding !) so we met up indoors instead. They ate and I watched; I couldn't eat for hours actually... typical of me after a long run. But later in the evening I went for a yummy Shake Shack burger and a beer, and walked about 80 city blocks with a friend. Perfect end to a perfect day.
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