Day Seventy Eight - Terrible Weather, Terrible Run
Saturday was our long run, as usual. Somehow in the space of 2 and a half months the words "long run" have changed from 6 miles to 15 miles with 20 on the horizon. Woke up at 7:15 to the sound of pouring rain outside. Sweet. I got outside and headed up to Riverside Park finding the weather pleasantly warmer than I had anticipated. That made the rain a little easier to take. By the time I made it to the park my shoes were already soaked through. Jen showed up shortly thereafter and we got our marching orders. 15 - 16 miles. We all know the distances of the various loops in Central Park and they told us that where we were starting from would give us a half mile to the park and a half mile back. Fair enough. We headed out together, with Charlotte as well, and made our way through the downpour to the park, laughing at how miserable the weather was and reminding ourselves that we'd remember this day come January 14.
We made it to the Park together when the girls decided they needed to stop for a pee break at Tavern on the Green. I wished them a good run and headed South. The rain let up and I was a little bummed out, actually. I mean, I was already wet, why not just keep raining on me? The wind did pick up at this point though, which kept me cool despite the fact that I was wearing the wrong clothes for inclement weather running - time to do some shopping. I had decided on a path - 2 Full Loops (6 miles each) and then one Lower Loop (1.7 miles) plus the one mile round trip to Riverside for a total of 14.7 miles. Half way through the first loop I started thinking that there was no way I was going to be able to finish this run. I was running alone (everyone was kind of doing their own thing and I kept passing Team members running all over the place which kept making me think I was doing something wrong - I may have self esteem issues). I finished the first loop on a high, finally feeling like I was getting into the zone where I can just go and not think about it. I was at the 1 hour and 10 minute mark and I stopped for a goo. A goo is basically a packet of...well...goo that has all sorts of...um...nutrients (?) and stuff to help you with the long distances. If running were a video game they'd be a power up. Make sense? They come in little single serve packets and have the consistency of toothpaste. Best to have water handy when you suck em down. I like the tri-berry ones myself. Anyway, I stopped for a goo and some water then headed back out on the loop.
It was here that I made the crucial decision to do my short lower loop before tackling the final 6 mile loop. I figured it would give me a little change of pace and more of a feeling of completion when I got around the big loop for the second time. I think it was a good choice. I fell back into step after the goo break but then stopped another 15 or so minute later to take a leak. I was almost done with the lower loop and back on the big one, but something happened during my pee break and I never really found a comfort zone again. That last six miles was ROUGH. I felt like I was going backwards. My feet started to hurt. I was certain I had at least two blisters between the mixture of wet socks, shoes and feet - fortunately they never raised. My speed was completely absent. I was just trudging around the park and feeling every footfall on my feet and knees. People were sprinting past me, or so it seemed. I just kept feeling slower and slower. I passed a familiar face from Team and he asked how I was doing and I said fine because I am a liar. Headed up the hill in Harlem I started cursing myself out loud. Fortunately there was no one around to hear me. "Come on you bastard" and other colorful phrases pushed me to the top, but barely. Near the resevoir I passed another Team member who was standing on the side of the road, waiting for soemone I think. He was one of our honored team mates (a cancer survivor - once paralyzed from the waist down, now training for a marathon and oh yeah, he completed an IRON MAN!!! a few months back) and I tried to pull my shit together as much as possible to look respectable as I passed him. We said hi and he asked how I was doing. This time I answered honestly and he said "Nah, you're looking great." That pushed me. It really did. Although I'd be lying if I said it pushed me all the way. About a mile later I was losing it again and I saw a guy running towards me. Probably about my age, although in much better shape than I am. He was running at a good clip and I noticed his hat. It was old and faded but I could easily see the logo on the front. I never realized how many transplanted Red Sox fans like to go running in the city. It made me think of Jen's friend Steve. Steve is the reason we're doing this whole run and I couldn't help but think how much Steve would love to be out running in the rain and wind in Central Park today. It sounds corny as hell, I know, and I'm not going to lie and say it made me feel great and that I found a burst of speed or anything like that. But I finished. And I didn't think about stopping. I bitched about how far it was, but I finished.
Heading back to Riverside Park was a bear. I hit every red light and even though I tried to keep moving while I was stopped by body was launching a major protest. At this point calling what I was doing running would have been the height of generosity. I had to think back to my 7 mile run in West Hartford a few months back to remember a comprable day. I finally got back to where we started, 14.7 miles under my belt and feeling like I'd gone twice that. Soon enough I guess. Long day. Bad run. Two days later and my knees feel OK (I find that they are somewhat sore almost constantly these days) and my feet are still hurting - remind me to tell you how terrified I was that I was going to lose a toenail around mile 10 - but other than that I'm feeling myself and ready to get back on the horse. I know they're not all going to be easy, but here's hoping for a couple just slightly easier than Saturday. Regardless, I think I was right, I'll remember that one for one reason or another when I'm on the road in Phoenix.
Thanks for reading.
DAY 78
TODAY'S MILEAGE - 14.7
TOTAL MILEAGE - 155.93
We made it to the Park together when the girls decided they needed to stop for a pee break at Tavern on the Green. I wished them a good run and headed South. The rain let up and I was a little bummed out, actually. I mean, I was already wet, why not just keep raining on me? The wind did pick up at this point though, which kept me cool despite the fact that I was wearing the wrong clothes for inclement weather running - time to do some shopping. I had decided on a path - 2 Full Loops (6 miles each) and then one Lower Loop (1.7 miles) plus the one mile round trip to Riverside for a total of 14.7 miles. Half way through the first loop I started thinking that there was no way I was going to be able to finish this run. I was running alone (everyone was kind of doing their own thing and I kept passing Team members running all over the place which kept making me think I was doing something wrong - I may have self esteem issues). I finished the first loop on a high, finally feeling like I was getting into the zone where I can just go and not think about it. I was at the 1 hour and 10 minute mark and I stopped for a goo. A goo is basically a packet of...well...goo that has all sorts of...um...nutrients (?) and stuff to help you with the long distances. If running were a video game they'd be a power up. Make sense? They come in little single serve packets and have the consistency of toothpaste. Best to have water handy when you suck em down. I like the tri-berry ones myself. Anyway, I stopped for a goo and some water then headed back out on the loop.
It was here that I made the crucial decision to do my short lower loop before tackling the final 6 mile loop. I figured it would give me a little change of pace and more of a feeling of completion when I got around the big loop for the second time. I think it was a good choice. I fell back into step after the goo break but then stopped another 15 or so minute later to take a leak. I was almost done with the lower loop and back on the big one, but something happened during my pee break and I never really found a comfort zone again. That last six miles was ROUGH. I felt like I was going backwards. My feet started to hurt. I was certain I had at least two blisters between the mixture of wet socks, shoes and feet - fortunately they never raised. My speed was completely absent. I was just trudging around the park and feeling every footfall on my feet and knees. People were sprinting past me, or so it seemed. I just kept feeling slower and slower. I passed a familiar face from Team and he asked how I was doing and I said fine because I am a liar. Headed up the hill in Harlem I started cursing myself out loud. Fortunately there was no one around to hear me. "Come on you bastard" and other colorful phrases pushed me to the top, but barely. Near the resevoir I passed another Team member who was standing on the side of the road, waiting for soemone I think. He was one of our honored team mates (a cancer survivor - once paralyzed from the waist down, now training for a marathon and oh yeah, he completed an IRON MAN!!! a few months back) and I tried to pull my shit together as much as possible to look respectable as I passed him. We said hi and he asked how I was doing. This time I answered honestly and he said "Nah, you're looking great." That pushed me. It really did. Although I'd be lying if I said it pushed me all the way. About a mile later I was losing it again and I saw a guy running towards me. Probably about my age, although in much better shape than I am. He was running at a good clip and I noticed his hat. It was old and faded but I could easily see the logo on the front. I never realized how many transplanted Red Sox fans like to go running in the city. It made me think of Jen's friend Steve. Steve is the reason we're doing this whole run and I couldn't help but think how much Steve would love to be out running in the rain and wind in Central Park today. It sounds corny as hell, I know, and I'm not going to lie and say it made me feel great and that I found a burst of speed or anything like that. But I finished. And I didn't think about stopping. I bitched about how far it was, but I finished.
Heading back to Riverside Park was a bear. I hit every red light and even though I tried to keep moving while I was stopped by body was launching a major protest. At this point calling what I was doing running would have been the height of generosity. I had to think back to my 7 mile run in West Hartford a few months back to remember a comprable day. I finally got back to where we started, 14.7 miles under my belt and feeling like I'd gone twice that. Soon enough I guess. Long day. Bad run. Two days later and my knees feel OK (I find that they are somewhat sore almost constantly these days) and my feet are still hurting - remind me to tell you how terrified I was that I was going to lose a toenail around mile 10 - but other than that I'm feeling myself and ready to get back on the horse. I know they're not all going to be easy, but here's hoping for a couple just slightly easier than Saturday. Regardless, I think I was right, I'll remember that one for one reason or another when I'm on the road in Phoenix.
Thanks for reading.
DAY 78
TODAY'S MILEAGE - 14.7
TOTAL MILEAGE - 155.93
posted by Demps at 9:26 AM
1 Comments:
you do me, and steve, proud demps. very, very proud!
that was a smart move with the loop in the middle. next time. of course, hopefully next time my foot won't be bleeding. :)
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