10 mile run!

Yesterday was my 10 mile training run. I have to admit, I wasn't really looking forward to it. If it hadn't been for my running pal Jen, I think I would've backed out. I had a horrible training week and felt like I was still recovering from my 9 mile run the week before! UGH! But at least it was a sunny day...finally! We headed out and did a negative split this time. The first five we did in 54 minutes and the second in 48. Not bad really for an easy run. BTW- the phrase "easy run" is now officially an oxymoron for me! But I do have to say the running part was actually pretty easy compared to the AFTER part! I think I will coin a new term called "running rigor mortis"! There is really no better way to describe it. Once I stopped moving, everything locked up and I could no longer move. I was as stiff as...well...a stiff! I forgot to stretch when I got back, which didn't help, but I did take a Celebrex. After that, the rest of the day is pretty much a blur. I was going to get in the shower and even went upstairs to do that, but decided I would just "lay here" for a minute first. That minute turned into two hours and when I woke up, I could NOT move! Well, I could, but it hurt! I felt like I had been run over by a mac truck! Jen called to see how I was doing and told me that the recovery part will get easier. I can only hope! She almost has me talked into taking an ice bath after each long run. She swears by it and says it really helps with the stiffness. I think after yesterday I will try about anything...even though I hate, hate, hate to be cold. An ice bath? Brrrrr... To me that just sounds like adding MORE torture to the already tortured. But I guess it would be better than spending an entire day on just recovering. Or not. Can I just say I am so grateful this next week is actually a recovery week for me? What great timing!

For a more detailed story visit my RUNNING BLOG HERE on my April 12th post.

Last night I read this great description of how I was feeling after that run, written by Michael on his running blog Car Back. It really helped me feel better about things. It is very inspiring, whether you are a runner or not, and so I wanted to share it with all of you here.

"What marathon runner doesn't occasionally feel deflated or unsure of their commitment or doubt their ability or their strength to cross the finish line? At the end of today's 16 mile run a friend looked at me with pain etched into her face and said "I don't think I can run another mile" in reference to next week's run. She was frightened with the possibility that she could endure no further pain; that she had reached a plateau. The pain and frustration temporarily clouded her ability to appreciate that these 16 long hard miles that she had just accomplished was in fact the longest distance she had run in her entire lifetime; a milestone of achievement that few have come to savour, a milestone that makes her children proud of their mom, a milestone that is to be acknowledged. It's a quirk of human nature that we tend to ponder what we can't do rather then celebrate what we have achieved. Can she run a marathon? Absolutely. Will it be hard? Absolutely. The expression "pain is just weakness leaving the body" may be cliche, but therein lies a nugget of truth. "