Rest and Recovery

Was it really just a week ago that I ran the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon?  The memories already seem mired by time.  My legs are no longer plagued by the soreness that enveloped them up until 2 or 3 days ago.  My brain is already begining to fuzz over memories of the toughest parts of the race, readying me for the inevitable choice to run another one.  Last week I was consumed with the marathon fever--it was all I could think about, all I wanted to talk about, all anyone asked me about.  And now, a week later, it seems like a far distant past.  Life moves so fast, moments so fleeting.  How does anyone ever hold on to the things they want to last?

This week I've been busy enough to let the memories fade fast.  We're down to just 7.5 school days left in the year, and so much to do before it all ends.  Missing 2 days for the marathon at this time of year was pretty tough, but worth it nonetheless.  Now I'm playing catch up, trying to get grades in, write report cards, and have enough time to let my kids celebrate the completion of their first grade year.  There just isn't enough time in the day right now.

In my running life, this week has been all about recovery.  Post-marathon recovery has always been tricky for me.  It becomes a balance between wanting to get back out there and avoiding beating up your body so much that you injure it.  I had thought about going to Team practice on Tuesday night, but on Tuesday I could barely sit down or stand up without wanting to scream in pain.  And those 3 little stairs that lead up to the porch of my apartment building were pure torture to descend (going up them hurt, but not nearly as bad).  Did I complain about the pain though?  No, I earned it.  It was my badge of honor.  Co-workers laughed at me as I waddled down the hall or attempted to get out of a chair.  I was proud of my pain because it was my accomplishment.  Lucy and I walked instead.

I thought about running on Wednesday with my teacher running group, but burdened by work and uplifted by the thought of a couple extra hours at school while Lucy played at day care, I passed on that too.

By Thursday my legs were itching to hit the streets again.  They weren't fully recovered, but they had progressed to a mere "normal" muscle pain (like the kind you feel after a really tough workout) and not the paralyzing marathon pain anymore.  It was perfect that Thursday night was one of Roadrunner's Thursday Adventure Runs.  If you haven't done one of these runs before, you should think about it.  I'll do it with you.  The general idea is that they post a map of checkpoints throughout the neighborhood (if you pre-register, they email the map to your smartphone!).  Then you have 1 hour to get to as many checkpoints as you can to collect tickets.  At the end of the hour, tickets are dumped into a bucket for a prize drawing.  With over $5000 in prizes including Garmin watches, shoes, and gift certificates to local stores and restaurants, it's pretty worth it.  No, I didn't win anything this time, but in the past I've won a free piece of Brooks clothing (I got a rain jacket that cost $75).  The run is free, so the worst that can happen is you walk away in the same position you got there.  And there's a beer garden.  Yay, beer.

This run was perfect for my return after the marathon.  We ran a leisurely pace and with all the stops along the way, there was lots of rest time.  There were very few hills.  And, since everything is outside, Lucy got to come along too (I just had to have my friend MacKenzie pick up tickets for me inside some of the checkpoints, which are local businesses.  No biggie).  Lucy was a little confused by all the commotion, but she settled right down in the beer garden while we laid our tickets out in front of us for the drawing.

When I got home, I foam rolled and then remembered why I don't foam roll often enough.  It hurts.  A lot.  Especially when you're still sore from running a marathon.  But, it certainly helped because Friday morning I woke up almost completely back to normal.  There was no run Friday, because of my double work day.  Only one more of these to get through before the summer!  Can't wait.

Even though I didn't run on Friday, I did say goodbye to a toenail.  After my marathon, I was a little surprised that my toes felt good.  In the past I've killed off one or 2 during my marathons.  And then Friday night I learned why it didn't hurt--it was in fact already dead.  I must have killed it at the Whidbey Half and it finally decided to fall off.  I took a picture of the red painted toenail separated from the toe, but I'll spare you.  Now the toe itself is painted red, and the untrained eye would never know the difference :)

Saturday morning I went to Team practice at Redmond Watershed.  I was asked to do the mission moment before practice (where someone tells their story about their connection to cancer to remind us runners why we are doing this).  I decided to read Part I of my San Diego story to the team, which was a little more difficult than I thought it would be.  When I write, sitting here at my computer, it's easy to say what's on my mind because I don't see who's actually reading this.  I'm not face to face with you.  In front of this crowd, I got nervous though.  I don't typically get nervous speaking in front of groups anymore, but this was a little different.  These were my words I was reading, my feelings, my emotions (things I'm not generally good at sharing).  I made it through though, and I was thanked afterward for sharing.  The run was really pretty, but muddy and very hilly.  I did a little over 4 miles, which felt perfect.  After a marathon, I always feel like I lose my breath more quickly than normal.  I think shorter runs for at least a week are reasonable.  Although next week I'll up it a little in preparation for the Seattle Rock N Roll Half Marathon in 2 weeks.

Today, Lucy and I went for another 4 mile run and averaged about a 9 minute pace.  Lately I've begun to realize that I may be running faster than Lucy's preferred pace.  Especially when we're on a gravel path, she tends to not want to go much faster than a 9:30 pace.  And in all truth, I think she's happier at a 10 minute pace.  But today, she trucked along in the "heat" (I think we were pretty close to 70 degrees today) with me at a faster pace.  My legs felt strong and my breathing more normal.  And I didn't feel like I had run a marathon a week ago.

It's weird, you spend 5 months or more training for this big event, and then it's all over in a few hours.  And then so quickly, it fades as if it didn't just happen.  As if this time last week I hadn't just run 26.2 miles.  Life goes on again as it did before.  But for me, after every marathon, I feel different.  I've learned new things about myself, my body, and what I am capable of.  And even if the memories fade, the changes that a marathon makes somewhere deep inside me won't fade.  And the next challenge I face, I'll be all the stronger for it, knowing that I can take on the world and not fall down.

And now my puppy pillow and I are going to get a little sleep as we face the last full week of the school year!

Sometimes I wonder why she tolerates me so.
She must love me, I guess.