Many, many weeks ago I resigned myself to not attending a
running event that I had been training for with Lady G. I hurt my back
part way into training in a way that I never had before (coincidently I hurt myself
putting on a pair of shorts, which I keep telling people are evil and not
flattering. No one listens to me. Especially in the heat of the
summer! Mind you the back went out AFTER running 16 kilometers so there’s
that.) After the back injury I resigned myself to attending the event just to cheer on my
running partner and enjoy a cold beverage post race. So with this
decision made I, of course, stopping training. Heck, my back was sore for
weeks and there was no way I would be able to put in the miles needed to get it
done in the time that was left. Then a miracle of sorts happened. I
was sitting at work minding my own business when a person at the desk beside me
started happily explaining her weekend half marathon experience and how awesome
it was. I looked over and thought “what?” (use your imagination
here please). To which she finishes up the conversation by explaining
that she “walked” the entire half marathon (what? Turned into a “Ohhh, I get
it”.) Well, if this wasn’t an eye opener for me. I decided right
then that I would walk that damn 21.5 kilometers if I had to. Heck, I was
going there anyway to cheer on The Gazelle. So with this new found power
I tell my running partner that she is going to have to wait many, many hours
for me to finish and prepare myself for “The Great Walk”. We arrive on
race day with completely differing emotions. One excited and a bit
nervous, the other laid back and worried that we would be wandering the city
looking for the parking garage where the car was (because neither of us could
remember where we had parked). Gazelle and I started and ran
together for a couple of minutes then she was off to the races! I ended
up having the best run of my life! I had no mental pressure on myself at
all and managed to run, pain free, for almost the entire 21.5. It was
amazing…………. Until a couple hours after the finish. My body took
this opportunity, this one time only, to fake me out and not send me all the
warning signs that come with running a stupid ass long distance without putting
in the training. As we got up to leave the after race/beer party, I found
myself almost to the point of not being able to walk. This pain and
the fact that the damn car was miles and miles away almost sent me to the
brink of madness. It was all I could do to keep walking. (In
hindsight I should have just finished the race and kept running right to the
damn car!) I am quite used to the odd ache or pain from running longer
distances. The pain usually sticks around for a day or two and is nothing
that a couple of Advil or a good glass of whiskey won’t take care of.
Well…. this was different. I got up the next morning to get ready for
work and my feet were broken! Well, they felt broken. Seems I have
bruised them so badly from the serious lack of training (and running with a
layer of summer party bubble) that as I sit here five days later I wonder if
they will ever feel normal again. Despite the broken feet I am so
happy to add this to the list of “crazy shit I have done” for many
reasons. It was awesome to be with Lady Gazelle for her first “official”
half marathon and the race itself was so amazing. The route, the view,
the music along the way, my new found running super powers and the pride of not
dying on the race course all add up to one hell of a day!
