I know all of my fans out there are probably wondering about how my marathon training has been going (humor me, will you?) Up until yesterday, I would have said pretty darn good. I have battled a few hip issues (still sore, but manageable) but other than that, I have felt really good through all of my runs. Yesterday was a 14-miler which was kind of exciting since that would be the farthest I had ever run and it was finally a distance that was over the halfway point of the marathon (kinda scary, huh?)
The next portion of this blog entry may be a little too much information for some people, especially if you don't like hearing about what starts to happen to the human body after hours of running. If that applies to you, please stop here!
Anyway, Saturday started out pretty well. I woke up fairly early and got out the door before the sun was up. My hip was pretty stiff at the beginning but I knew that usually by mile 3 or 4 it would start to feel a lot better so I kept going. The previous day I had battled a few "intestinal issues" (i.e. think my early days as a missionary in Brazil and you will get the idea), but I was hoping that those problems weren't going to plague me today. Let's just say though, that by mile 4, I was literally praying for a toilet. It took just about every ounce of energy I had to hold it all in. Miraculously, there was a flea market on the side of the road and I saw to my great relief that there were some port-a-potties in the parking lot. I quickly ran over, checked to be sure it was stocked with toilet paper (another lesson I learned from the mission) and finally felt some relief. I knew that I was at least 4 miles from home at this point, so I just hoped that I wouldn't have any more issues and that I could complete the entire 14 miles so I kept on going. I felt good until mile 8 when I noticed that the inside seam of my running shorts was starting to become a bit bothersome (note to all: anything that can chafe, will chafe during long runs). But there wasn't a whole lot that I could do but keep running. I chose a different route for that day's run and came across some pretty nasty hills along the way, some so steep that it was all I could do to slowly walk up them. By mile 10, I was just zapped. My legs felt rubbery, I was weak and I was also starting to run low on water. I am definitely not a quitter (which sometimes isn't always a good thing) so I continued to run, trot, limp and crawl along until I finally finished the entire 14 miles.
So why do I share these things with you all? I'm not entirely sure, just that I needed somewhere to express what an utterly awful experience that was. It could probably go down as one of my worst runs ever and that's saying a lot because I've endured several doozies during my last 10+ years of running. But despite the sore hip, the diarrhea, the horrible chaffing, the excruciating hills, the dehydration and the overall dreadful nature of this particular run, I still finished and that, ladies and gentleman, is quite the accomplishment.
So what next....Well maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I'll just keep on running and hope things are a bit better for next week. After all, next week is 16 miles...AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
Abby looked so pretty on Sunday in her new purple dress, but I forgot to take a picture of her before we went to church. After we came home from church (which ended up being close to five hours with choir, interviews and calling responsibilites), I went outside to try to capture a few shots of her, but then I had the brilliant idea of bringing her inside on the staircase so that you could see more of her dress. That, my friends was a big mistake!! Abby proceeded to have a little meltdown on the stairs and just looked so pathetic with her little chin pressed against her chest in what can only be considered extreme distress. Sundays are a bit rough on her. Church doesn't start until 1:00 p.m. which means she almost never gets a nap. She holds out pretty well though for the most part, and is really starting to enjoy nursery (at least they rarely come to get us so I guess that's a good sign.) But I guess there's only so much a little girl can take and pictures on the stairs pushed her just a little too far on that day!!
