Monday, November 23, 2009

The Day After

Yesterday, I ran 26 miles.
Today, I walked a mile and a half. I'm not sure which hurt more.

The plan for today was simple: head out to the bank, cafe, and drug store. All are in the neighborhood. My game plan was pretty conservative; I even left my netbook at home, thinking that the extra 2.8 pounds might make this too hard.
My original goal was to go the bank first. That's the longest walk, so I wanted to get it out of the way first. But I had to adjust my goals after I'd started. It was just too hard. So I made an on-the-fly decision – 'called an audible,' if you will – to go to the coffee shop first. There, I could sit and rest up, while reading. I could also get some more fuel in my system.
I pulled off the stop in the coffee shop fine. But the whole time I was there, I knew that I was just delaying the inevitable: the trip to the bank. It really weighed on me. So finally, I decided to take the bull by the horns, got up, and headed out.
The trip to the bank wound up being ok. But the bank isn't a rest-up spot. You're standing the whole time you're there, and you're only there for 2-3 minutes. And let me tell you, the walk from the bank to the drug store is NOT easy.
I chose the route down Durham street. I knew that there was something of a descent there, but I'd underestimated it. Somehow, it got steeper today. I tried to go gingerly. At around the point where I passed the one-mile mark, there were some fences I could hold. But when they end, I was on my own – just me, a slippery brick sidewalk, and some overgrown grass. On a hill. I mean, come on! It was step after painful step until I reached Cresheim. But I made it.
The walk from there was easier. Flat, or uphill. I stayed conservative, crossing at green lights and looking for cars. I knew, once I made it back to our block, that I was going to make it home.
In retrospect, I was right to leave the netbook at home. The walk was tough enough as it is. But I'm also glad to have gone on the walk. Not because I needed to do the errands, but because it's this sort of mental toughness that helps you through difficult times later on.

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So, listing the pains:
1) Thighs.
Mostly, the quads, but both thighs are sore. This really comes out walking up stairs, walking down stairs, walking on flat land, and sitting still.
This I expected. It hurts, but I expected it.
2) The bottom of my right foot.
This really hurts when I'm walking, specifically when I land on my right foot.
This one I expected, too. I've got some weird corn/callous/growth right where under the ball of my foot. By the end of the race it was really hurting. And today, yeah, I still feel it.
3) My right ankle.
This one I didn't expect. It hurts when I bend my ankle, when I rotate it. Monitoring this one.
4) My lower back.
I don't think that's from the race. I think it's from walking around since then, trying to control my body and taking smaller steps.
All in all, I'm doing around how I expected. Sore, but I can move. I've even been going up and down stairs. I just do it one at a time.

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