July 1, 2008

Three reasons I’m not too comfortable today

1. The marathon used chip timing, but instead of the typical chip that you put on your shoelaces, it was attached to a plastic wristband similar to the ones you get at events/concerts/open bars/etc that you can’t remove without cutting. They told us to put it on either our wrist or our ankle. I opted for ankle, because a) I didn’t want another wrist line tan (thank you, Road ID) and b) I figured it would be closer to the mats and have less chance of messing up. What they didn’t warn us was that the plastic would cut into our skin as we ran (and mine wasn’t too tight – it was just from kind of bouncing around as I ran). During the race I kept stopping to try to adjust it and get it to stop digging into me, but I never got it to be comfortable. And now it’s decidedly painful because I have a few big cuts and a lot of irritated skin.

2. The aid stations ran out of water at mile 16. No cups, no water… just a lot of empty jugs. Eventually someone had hit on the idea of filling up the empty jugs at neighboring houses, so it was really only one aid station that was missing water (but the stations were every 2 miles, not every mile, so that was 4 miles without water). However, they were still cupless, so the volunteers were handing us the jugs and having us drink directly out of them. When it’s a choice between germs and dehydration, I chose germs. But again, I am now paying the price. I have a nasty sore throat that makes my voice really raspy when it comes out at all, and it sounds like I’m croaking. And I’m fairly congested too. Hopefully this will get better fast.

3. I ran a marathon. It was hilly. Legs are sore. Enough said.

The moral of the story is, don’t run marathons – they will kick your butt in more ways than you can imagine!

That said, the new question is… should I go to Alberta to do the Calgary Marathon this weekend?

Pros:
It will only cost me about $300 in out of pocket expenses for a cross-country roundtrip flight, hotel, rental car, and entry fee. When else can I travel so cheaply?
Two marathons in two weeks would be so hardcore! And I would qualify to join the Marathon Maniacs.
It’s supposed to be a flat and fast course (this from runners who have done it in the past, not from race directors who always call their courses flat and fast no matter if it’s true or not).
Weather report shows a high of 78 with 0% chance of precipitation.
I could hopefully PR, since I seem to be in better shape than Burlington and this course isn’t nearly as difficult as Seafair. And they have 4:00 and 4:15 pace bunnies!
My friend Danny lives in Alberta and maybe I could get together? I haven’t seen him in a year!
The Calgary Stampede is going on so there would be a lot of excitement in town.

Cons:
I’ll only be there for 24 hours – kind of a long trip for just a short visit.
My legs are sore still – but I’ll hopefully be fine by the weekend?
If this cold doesn’t go away, it would probably make my running suck.
I haven’t been in NYC for more than a few hours since May… it’d be nice to get back. On the other hand, I’ll still be there Wednesday night through Saturday morning, and next weekend I’ll be there Thursday through Saturday… and after that I’ll be sitting around my apartment all day until I can get staffed.
I’m moving apartments on Thursday, which could be tiring. I hired movers to do the big stuff (furniture, TV), and I’m just moving within my apartment complex so I’ll have carts and won’t really have to lift stuff… but it still probably won’t qualify as a good way to rest up for the race.

Advice, please! Need to get this booked tonight if I’m going.

SHARE:

16 thoughts on “Three reasons I’m not too comfortable today”

  1. It seems like I hear this more and more lately. No cups, no water. It is almost as if you gotta start bringing your own water just to be on the safe side.

    I say book the trip! You would rock if you did 2 in 2 weekends. Book the flight and then get to the doctors for some sort of shot to get rid of all of the germs you got from the community trough.

  2. Life is too short to pass up something you’ve obviously deliberated enough about to make a predominantly positive case.

    Hydrate, sleep well, drop the dairy out of your diet for a few days, and eat a shitload of broccoli. There is a component of broccoli that supposedly aids the body’s ability to absorb oxygen/make lungs more efficient. I’ve been warding off chest colds with broccoli, spinach, and collard greens for years now.

    **HEALTHY HAPPY THOUGHTS**

  3. I came SO close to getting fro yo with my lunch today… we ordered delivery from the place that customizes it with mixed in fruit and whatnot. But I resisted! Now that I saw your comment, Chia, I’m glad. I’m having steamed spinach with some other veggies and chicken for lunch – hopefully that will help and then I’ll be sure to get broccoli for dinner.

    …but I want my ice cream! I actually didn’t get it after the marathon b/c I wasn’t in the mood but now I TOTALLY am.

  4. It’s really random and odd I hit refresh right then lol.

    Have you tried soy or rice “ice cream”? The chocolate varieties are really nummy. Some of the fruited ones kind of have that odd aftertaste.

    Dairy supposedly promotes mucus production. Boooo 🙁

  5. Go for it!

    FYI-next time attach the plastic band to your shoelaces. Cleveland had a similar timing system. Hope you feel better and heel fast. As you know, alcohol reduces pain and improves confidence.

  6. I agree with most of the comments. Life is too short. This sounds like a great opportunity for you to grab in Alberta.
    Off the point, I hate when the station is out of water. They use a hose to fill up the cups. Who wants to drink a cup of water from a garden hose?
    Hope you feel better !!!

  7. hey girl…..the wristband thing…put on your shoe laces silly goose! You can loop it right through there and there is no skin contact. Works like a charm. I think you need a lil break from the marathons! Don’t want to sustain any injuries…that will prevent you from properly training for DISNEY 🙂

  8. Chia, I actually don’t mind the aftertaste of soy ice cream and kind of like it! I forgot I could have that even if I’m doing non-dairy. Thanks!

    Everyone else – I’m planning to book it; just trying to figure out a few logistics before I sign up for the non-refundable flight.

  9. Okay, Laura…no more advice from me, because you are obviously more hardcore about running marathons than I am…

    So does that mean I’m no longer obligated to show up on the 5th at Super Runners Shop?

  10. Wow. That’s all I can say.

    That, and I plan on carrying a water bottle with me from now on. 1) I always feel bad knowing some volunteer has to pick up all those cups 2) I usually take two cups (or 3 depending on the heat) at each stop, but since I can’t run and carry 2-3, I can pour water directly into my bottle from the jug and be on my way with some to take along, and 3) in case they run out of cups, I don’t have to “share” germs.

    Good luck in Canada, eh?

  11. Since you’ve decided to, I’ll add another “Why, not?” vote to the mix.

    Is this the train for a marathon by doing a marathon training plan?

    They used something similar at Beat the Bridge. It took a month for the little cut lines to heal.

    That does it, I’m just carrying my own water when I finally run my long races.

  12. My advice, dearie [said in creaky old lady voice] is to stay as energetic and injury free as you are right now, forever! Let those of us with bonky hips and gray hair live vicariously through your marathoning antics.

    Run on!

Leave a Reply to Viper Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Join the List

Subscribe for instant email notification of new posts.

Join the List

Subscribe for instant email notification of new posts.

© 2023 by 50by25. All rights reserved. Actions taken from the hyperlinks on this blog may yield commissions for 50by25. View my FTC disclaimer.

Scroll to Top