10 Days Later

After a much needed ten day break, I finally felt up for a short run yesterday. It took four days for my right foot to "uncramp", so to speak, and when I put on my running shoes over the weekend, my foot began to cramp up again as if to say "too soon... too soon..." Regardless, I ran a jolly three miles yesterday late in the afternoon and it felt great to be back on the trail.

I haven't decided whether to continue this running commentary. For one thing, I have no idea if anyone is even reading this. While that shouldn't matter, I'm not planning to run another race for awhile. I might look into finding a half-marathon for the spring. I intend to continue running, of course, but I've little to no interest in carrying on about it.

Still, I am beginning to enjoy posting on this little blog of mine. It boosts my confidence to see my thoughts written out, posted for the world to read (if they so choose). That said, I am inspired to break open the metaphor and make a run for it.

And Scene.

Writing, as I am, on the morning after, is perhaps one of the few activities I can manage in relative comfort given the current status of my feet, legs, and lower back. All in all, I am happy to report that I finished the marathon yesterday in one piece (though towards the end I wasn't so sure whether a few pieces might fall off; namely, my right foot).

As previously indicated, I had no preset goal(s) for time. My goal was to finish and finish I did. Here is the rundown:

5K 33:03

10K 1:05:58

Half 2:24:41

30K 3:22:12

20mi 3:36:11

Finish 4:39:54

Pace 10:41

Carrie and I started at about ten after eight and it was wonderful running through the streets of downtown Minneapolis. Aside from the visual stimulation, the first seven miles or so went by unnoticed because we were far to concerned with the cold and the wet. By mile six, the downpour was ravishing our bodies, numbing both my hands and forearms, and slowing us down a lot due to the added water weight in our shoes. It finally cleared up, much to our relief, and the next thirteen or so miles went by without much extraneous physical effort. Both Carrie and I enjoyed all the enthusiasm from the spectators, which included my family, her family, and thousands of others, including live musicians, kids handing out candy, and people who cheered us on by name because we wore name-tags. At first I found this a bit unnerving but later came to appreciate being singled out by name (or number) as it quite literally boosted my energy level.

Between mile twenty and twenty-one, the tide turned as my right foot cramped up. Carrie and I started to lose each other time and again and when we got to mile twenty-three, Carrie opted to walk for a bit. I continued on, however, because it hurt my foot more to walk than run. Looking back, I wish I had stuck with Carrie because the last few miles were actually quite lonely, which in turn intensified the pain in my right foot.

Despite all the gloom and doom, I can't articulate how fantastic it was when the finish line came into view. I picked up the pace slightly towards the end, ignoring what now felt like a constant Charlie horse in my right foot. I crossed and finished; and just like that, it was over.

When I finally found Carrie and our families, my mom asked about the obvious redness of my left shoe, which, upon removing my shoe and sock, revealed a bleeding toe. Note to self: remember to cut toe-nails before running a marathon. Ha! Don't worry, it wasn't painful and the blood washed out quite readily with cold water (thankfully).

By and large, this was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It's still too soon to say whether I will run another full marathon - at least that's what my right foot is urging me to write this morning.

Countdown, Part III

This final week of training went very well although I struggled because I didn't want to stop after 3, 4, and 2miles. Everyone has been asking me, "Are you ready? Are you excited?" to which I respond, "Yes and yes, but I will be more ready and more excited once I'm actually running!" This waiting is driving me batty. Needless to say, I am happy that in less than twelve hours I will finally be on the course running this thing!

On Thursday night, instead of watching the debate, I got a massage. It felt amazing. And yet, it has become painfully clear to me that my back and legs are not as happy as my mind is about doing this. I am contemplating scheduling another massage soon...

This morning, Carrie and I went to the expo in St. Paul to get our bag o'goodies, which included our tracking chips and numbers. I am #3359 if anyone wants to follow me online at http://www.mtcmarathon.org/. By all means, pretend I'm a package being delivered. I have no problem with that.

Anyway, the expo was pretty neat. We got to chat it up with vendors and sample foods and drinks, which was great because I hadn't had breakfast and I was starving. I bought a new mustardy colored running shirt made with bamboo fibers, which apparently helps with odor control. That said, I sure hope I'm not the only one wearing bamboo fiber tomorrow.

Tonight Carrie and I made a tasty dinner consisting of grilled chicken, fresh vegetables, spinach, and ahem, some spaghetti noodles. Then we watched a movie and now I'm getting ready for sleepy time. I sure hope I can get good rest tonight, but if not, I'm sure there will be a few thousand people ready to catch me if I collapse at any point during the race.

Wish me luck! Peaceout -