Going the distance

So I've been walking around the house trying to work off the soreness from today's 11+ mile run. Whenever I sit or lie down for a bit, my body tightens up and when I get up, I walk (and feel) like Frankenstein for a few minutes. I took a couple of ibuprofin tablets to attempt to proactively prevent an achy evening.... a bath might be nice, but it feels like a lot of effort. Maybe before I go to bed.

The masseuse I saw last week after the 15K said that after running the muscles produce lactic acid, which causes the soreness and stiffness we feel after cooling down. Massage is supposed to help work it out, and she recommended water and vitamin C to help flush it out of the system. I wondered, but didn't ask (because I didn't want an unfavorable answer), whether the calcium in the latte I like to treat myself to after running might make it worse.

Today's run was my longest continuous run yet. It was at least 11.2 miles long, maybe a bit longer because I overshot my starting point at the end. I ran four times around the 2.8 mile loop at Discovery Park, plus probably an additional .1 or .2 mile to get back to the parking lot. Since today's goal on my half-marathon training schedule was 11 miles (for me - I'm a bit ahead of the general training schedule), I am right on track.

Running in Discovery Park is no piece of cake. The loop trail is full of hills, some of them quite steep up and down. There is a certain point where a hill becomes so steep that it is not possible to run either up or down at any kind of normal pace. Luckily there were only a few of those, and the rest fell into the difficult but doable category.

After the first two loops (5.6 miles), I was really in the zone, and the third loop felt really good, and easy. The fourth loop, I must admit I spent a lot of time telling myself that I was almost done, almost done, almost done. I think I did pick up my pace a bit during that final segment, however.

I am now within two miles of the total half-marathon distance. The training plan only goes up to twelve miles, but I'm a bit inclined to go for the full distance. Despite all my running (and I know I'm very fit, and ready for the half-marathon), I still don't quite trust myself and feel like I need to prove that I can run 13.1 miles before I ever do the race.

I have to admit that the ease and enjoyability of today's run was just a tiny bit diminished by a slightly sour stomach or hint of heartburn. I supposed that may have been due to the wine I drank at last night's St. Patrick's Day party, or maybe the vast quantity of fudge I consumed... or simply perhaps the excess of pico de gallo I put on my eggs this morning.

Note to self - don't drink wine the day before the half marathon, or eat too much chocolate or overly spicy food!