… and I have no idea why anyone puts themselves through it!
I made the 13.1 miles (or 13.5, say some people with GPS) of the Aspen Valley Half Marathon in just over 2 hours, keeping an 8:30 pace for the first three miles, dropping to a 9 to 9:30-minute pace the next nine, and then took about 20 minutes to finish the last mile. In that last mile, my left knee (oshgoodslaughter diseased knee) locked up and I stopped every 100 feet to try to stretch out my hamstring/calf/ankle. It wasn’t particularly effective, and I collapsed onto the grass at the finish line and cried. They were not tears of relief. I know how to push through pain, but this was too much.
I still haven’t gotten to the point yet, a full day later, where I’m proud of myself for finishing. It’s because I hurt so much–still. To recover, I:
– Went and stood in the Roaring Fork River, which is made of melting snow, for 24 minutes, mid-thigh high. (Ice bath)
– Took an hour nap on the couch.
– Took a hot bath with 1 cup epsom salts (draw out lactic acid)
– Walked around as much as bearable
Went to bed early after chowing down on some turmeric (natural anti-inflammatory) and taking some MSM supps … still very, very sore this morning. Not unnaturally sore anywhere but on the knee, which is still really stiff and locking up on me. No good.
Back to not being proud — I think it’s because I knew I could finish it, without a doubt. I COULD run 13.1 miles without having run at all in the past couple of months, and certainly not more than 4 miles or so in at least a year. And I DID. At 8,000 feet, no less.
But it’s the same as doing 100 kipping pullups and ripping the shit out of my hands — I CAN do it, but is it the best idea? Hurting my knee because my muscles aren’t used to TWO HOURS of running is the exact same as ripping my hands because my grip, my shoulders, and my back aren’t actually strong enough to do that many pullups.
The entire time I was running, I thought to myself, this is horrible. Afterward, I talked about how miserable the experience was, and how I never wanted to do it again. BUT the thought lingers: what if I was prepared? Would I have enjoyed it? It IS fun running through the mountains, pushing up the hills, flying downhill …
There are some 10Ks coming up … I won’t swear off running, or running long distances, but I WILL swear off listening to the slightly egotistical voice in my head who knows she CAN do it but doesn’t know when she SHOULD. 😀
… maybe I’m a LITTLE proud that I finished. Now, anyway, that I’ve gotten the rest off my chest.