How long: too long
Where: lakefront, hollywood to soldier field and back
When: Friday at about 9:30am/68 degrees and climbing
September miles: 55
Total 2014 miles: 507.4
It's two days later and so I suppose I can write. Started off the morning with some steel cut oats, then dropped kid 1 off at school. Was taking the day off from work BUT ended up going in to take care of a few things before rolling out. Finally arrived at a very sunny lakefront at 9:30. It wasn't hot, but it wasn't necessarily my version of ideal running conditions which generally include:
-40s/50s temp range
-cloudy overcast skies
-early morning hours
Whatever right, let's get this party started, because I have a 2pm phone meeting (that I have to do even though I'm off work today.)
I'm running. All is well. I take the shady route when the trail splits off at Belmont because it's sunny and for me to be a "fire" sign of Leo, I sure do loathe the sun. At least when it involves running. Did I just go all horoscope on you? I sure did, and I really think that's lame as hell when other people do it, too.
Anyway, as I approach the concrete monster (between Chicago Ave and Ohio St. Beach) I noticed that maybe some gravel or something had gotten in my sock. Better get that out. And let's see what's going on with my toe because it feels swollen. This same toe that the night before had, uh, leaked out a bunch of stuff from the toenail bed.
Took my shoes off and noticed the bloody sock. :( My toe was NOT happy. I kept running but felt like my toe was swelling and swelling. I finally get to the 10 miles, but not too far off my desired pace, even with the run/walk combo I've been doing on my long runs lately.
But as I turned to head back north my toe felt like it was filling up my whole show. The sock and the entire shoe felt too small. I walked. For a long time. Like over 3 miles. I'd try to run and then just stop. Back at north avenue beach I wa soooooo close to walking over that pedestrian bridge and keep walking back to civilization--a cab. A bus. The train. But then I said "hell no, even if you have to walk it. At about 14 miles i said to hell with it, even if I have to run/walk every tenth of a mile, that's what I'll do. So I did that until about 17 miles.
By then I'd realized I was going to have to stop and do my call for work. But I didn't want to stop! So I called in, and kept walking. I'd told the people I wasn't at my desk and that I was walking outside back to my office from a meeting. So I kept walking and having my meeting. THIS was a first, for sure. And preferably a last! A few times I would mute the call and run a tenth of a mile then walk. At one point I'd stopped running and was back to walking, but had to say something while I was out of breath. Finally that call was over and I ran the last mile. Ran/walked, that is.
And that was 20. Barely enough running to call it a run. But done. So...ready or not, here comes Chicago in three weeks, and NYC in 6.
Other random things I saw/heard:
-the teeniest little bunny rabbit
-two dogs getting it on right in the middle of the path
-a chick wearing the exact same shirt as me. We have each other the nod.
-some annoying chick on a bike who yelled "ARE YOU RUNNING 20 MILES THIS WEEKEND????!!!!!!!!" I was like "yeah, today."
Anyway...wish it could have been more like my 19 miles. But I'll hold onto that run knowing that I'll get through the 26.2. My calf didn't hurt so much but for the first time in awhile my knees were barking a bit. Nothing to worry about though.
Well, there you have it. Nothing pretty.
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