Today was a 9 miler, which was the longest run so far, and, I have to honestly say, it felt like it. Not at first, but somewhere after the 6th mile the rivets lining my steam powered stature started unhinging. My feet felt numb, I knew that couldn't be a good thing, and my knee(s) started lighting up like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller center. I pushed forward though, subtly tweaking my form until I met a balance that teetered on a precipice of discomfort and numbness. I doubt very much I should have kept going, even Hal recommends walking breaks if need be, but I knew if I stopped at any point I'd feel defeated, and mope my way home, head hanging in front of my hunched shoulders with the weight of my worrisome woes throwing off my center of gravity. I also knew walking would just take longer to get home, and if my leg was going to hurt either way, I wanted to choo-choo-choose the method of movement that got me there faster. So for about 2 miles it was a battle, not entirely unlike Rocky Vs. Drago, of revisions and resignations, but by the 8th mile, the flames of the campfire that had been toasting my marshmallow knees faded into a tolerable pit of smoldering acquiescence, and things became easier.
At the tail end of the 9 miles I passed my cousin and my littler cousin, biking to the park. As much as I wanted to stop and chat, I knew if I broke my stride there I'd be wobbling the rest of the way home on new born colt legs. So I had a quick passing conversation, realizing I wasn't nearly in as bad of a shape as I had thought. I think seeing the little guy peddling along in his bright blue curious george hat kind of perked me up for a strong finish.
I did something out of the ordinary when I got home. I iced my knees right away. I skipped the stretching (for the moment), and went with just the ice ice baby. I ate a small post-run snack: cashews and a banana. Then I filled the tub with molten lava (water), submerging my knees into the blissful burning liquid. I was feeling fatigued to begin with, but this scenario just invited lethargy to spend the night. Afterwards, while my muscles were completely loose and limber, I dove into the deep end of the normal stretching routine I've been applying for the last 2 weeks(? [has it really been 2 weeks? Is this really the end of week 4? Though I feel good about today, after completing the run, I wonder if I'll really be ready for the marathon in another 14 weeks, it seems too soon already, and I've only done 9 miles at one time!]). So, this hot water treatment, though not entirely revelatory, is definitely something I'm going to consider implementing on the long run days ahead. Yea, I'm feeling exhausted, but not altogether beat.
Tomorrow is the Philadelphia Marathon, so good luck to y'all involved at an level of participation in it. I slept on registering for the half-marathon, and thus missed the opportunity to run in it. But if I had made it in, I definitely would have had to alter my current training schedule, because I couldn't really imagine racing 13.1 miles just yet. Soon enough, though...soon enough.
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