No Wonder I Came in About Last Place...

...I was going the wrong way! Just kidding. This was my warm up before the Dave's 10 Mile Shoe Run I ran about a month ago. I just looked at it recently and saw the runners going the other way and thought, no wonder I came in at the back of the pack!

Well, I missed my 9 mile run a couple of days ago on Tuesday due to a little snowstorm we had. I ran that last night after Lindsey and I got back from her game at Dexter where she and her Lady Bronco teamates posted another "W" to go 4 - 0 on the season. While my pace, just slightly over 9 min/mile was ok and total time, 1:21:27 was ok, the run was horrible. I felt horrible, I felt like my legs and body were "heavy", I had to go up and down the same road (Lewis Avenue) because the side streets were still too snow covered, my legs hurt, my right knee was killing me even with my brace on, right lower leg felt like it would snap at any moment, and I wanted to quit about 4 - 5 miles into it. Oh, and then in the last 2.5 miles mother nature was knocking at the door, if you know what I mean. Sorry, I know, too much information (tmi) as usual, but hey, this is the life of a runner training for a marathon and these things have to be reckoned with. Anyway, I made it home "safely", but (no pun intended), barely.

Anyway, needless to say I had some serious doubts in my head about enduring the rest of the training and completing this marathon after that run last night. The questions and self-doubt festered in my head as I lay in bed awaiting slumber last night. I knew I would have to go out earlier this morning, which was a scheduled rest day, for my 4 mile run that I was to have been done yesterday. I was nervous about getting back out on the pavement today. I showered, took some vitamin I (ibuprophen) and went to bed last night with a pillow under my knee.

I woke up this morning and the pain in my knee and side of it was pretty well gone. I still wasn't confident about running. I got out about 7:45 and got the 4 miles in. I felt much better this morning, not good, but much better than last night and didn't have any residual pain after the run. Whew. I completed the run in 35:21 at an average pace of 8:51 min/mile in the 10 degree temps of the morn. So, a redemptive (is that a word?) run in which I gained some confidence back. I've found running is like that though, one day you feel as though you could run across the state of Michigan and the next, like you couldn't run across the street to get the mail. It's as much a mind game as it is physical at times.

Lindsey has a home game this afternoon against Lincoln. She scored one basket last night and they ended up eeking out the win against Dexter 21 - 15 after leading them 17 - 3 in the last period! Kinda fell apart a bit at the end. Hopefully they will play good consistently throughout this afternoon's game. I'll post the results later.