Twelfth Group Run

Let me start by saying that I didn’t run during the week last week. At all. Every night, I was either too busy or too tired, so it just didn’t happen. I think I probably could have squeezed in at least one run, but I was so sure that I’d be just fine to run 16 miles on Saturday, week-night runs or not. Dumb mistake!

So, Saturday morning rolled around, and we got up early to run. Christine and Lorri had their 20-mile run and decided to start at 6:30 am to mimic their marathon start time. Chris and I wanted to get a head start because we had stuff to do that afternoon. So, bright and early, the four of us met in Hingham.

It was cool and overcast but muggy. Chrisine, Chris and I started out together, with Lorri following. Soon we felt just how muggy it was, and I felt sticky and gross. But eventually we got a few sprinkles of rain, and that actually helped to cool me down and it got rid of some of the mugginess. There were TONS of lilac bushes along the route, which I loved, because I adore that scent! I love running in the springtime…

Lorri had woken up early and set out bags of water, Powerade, Skittles, and Gu’s along our route to Hull. She even put notes on them asking passers-by not to remove them, because they were for marathon training! She was so organized and I’m still in awe. We really appreciated those bags, because Kristen and Kate weren’t showing up until 8:00, our usually start time. This time, I also remembered to bring my own snacks. I put some Rice Krispy treats and some Starbursts in a plastic baggie and carried it with me. The thought of eating all that sugar and candy so early in the morning is pretty gross, but at the time, it was just what I needed. By the way, I still haven’t tried a GU. They never seem appetizing to me. I want to get into them though!

As I mentioned before, Chris, Christine and I stuck together at first. We ran out to Hull, 8 miles away from the Derby Street Shoppes, and turned around. We took a couple of short walk breaks, and stopped for a bit when Kate and Kristen found us, and met Kristen’s new adorable puppy. Christine decided to stay with me and Chris instead of continuing on to the 10-mile mark, and after turning around there, she and I stuck together, with Chris following. He still has knee problems, the poor guy! Christine did another 4 miles at the end by herself. I was so glad to be done; I’m not sure how she did it! Props to her and Lorri for getting their 20-miler done! Their next longest run will be their marathon!

Anyway, backing up a bit here, it was a little before the half-way mark when I started to notice that my legs were in pretty bad shape. I was especially nervous about this because I was experiencing a new kind of pain. The backs of my knees were really hurting, and felt incredibly tight. I’d never had that happen before. I stretched them a bit at each water stop, but I think the lack of running during the previous week really took its toll. My legs were TOO well-rested!

However, I made it to the end and luckily I don’t think I did any permanent damage. I ran 4 miles last night, and while I did feel some of that same tightness, it was not half as bad as it was on Saturday, so I’m not really worried about it. I’m just not going to ignore my training schedule again!

Chris went to see a doctor about his knee yesterday, and is getting an MRI tomorrow. That should let him know whether he’s torn something or not. Let’s hope NOT! He also ran last night and did great!

Another thing I wanted to mention is that Margaritas on Saturday night was a blast! Thanks to everyone who came out for it! I have to admit… I had way too many margaritas. Uhh…. I probably should have known that running 16 miles, not drinking any water all day, not eating enough, and then drinking lots of tequila would be a BAD IDEA.