I know, I know. It has been forever since I posted. So get ready, because this is going to be a bit lengthy! I've got some funny stories to share!
Training has been going well. In the past few weeks my mileage has reached a high of 8-miles which I did yesterday.
One thing fun that I got to do on Saturday, April 19 was participate in the New School's 2nd Annual Rabbit Run 5K along the Hudson River. All of the proceeds went to Multiple Sclerosis and it was my first race ever! I was so excited to get my bib and t-shirt! But things got a little messy during the actual race.
It was a small race, only about 25 people ran it, I'd say. It was partly sponsored by Jack Rabbit, which was cool, and there were fun prizes for the top 3 finishers in the male and female categories. The race started perfectly. It was sunny with a slight breeze, great for running. I pushed off strong and was actually in first for the females for the whole first half of the race. Then something tragic happened.
Side Note: While this is a gross detail about my life, it is vital to the understanding of the rest of the story. I have very strange digestive problems which cause me to have to go to the bathroom at spontaneous, and often inconvenient, times.
I had joked with Bo, who is aware of my intestinal disruptances, that it would be funny if I shit myself during the run (totally joking, it wouldn't be funny at all). Around the 1.5 mile marker, while I was in first place, I started to feel a little uncomfortable in my abdomen which quickly developed into what I thought would be a very terrible and embarrassing way to finish my first race. I had a decision to make. I could either finish in first, claim my prize and glory, but with poop running down my leg, or I could forfeit my win and keep my dignity by taking the next turn and running to the bathrooms in the Chelsea Piers. I chose the latter and ended up at the finish line at an embarrassingly late time. They didn't even wait for me to get back to give out the prizes and medals. But I won the best prize of all, the knowledge that I had the ability to beat them all, a great story for my first race ever, and clean underpants.
Kept on running throughout the week. All good.
Then on Saturday, April 26, Bo and I went to the Nike Store by the Flatiron to participate in the weekly Nike Running Club. Boy, did a lot of people turn out! It was great! We did 6 miles along the Hudson and I met a lot of cool runners to share stories with. I really hope to continue going back each week until I return to the midwest on May 20th.
I hit a little bump in the road yesterday, though. I decided that I wanted to get my long run of the week out of the way on Sunday rather than today when I knew I had classes, a paper to write, and a lease to sign. So I woke up early and ran 8 miles up to Central Park and down 10th avenue and ended in Washington Square Park. It felt fine until about mile 6. I should've recognized the signs and known to stop, but being the competitive person I am, chose to keep going and see if I could push myself. What I ended up with was two extremely sore achilles and difficulty walking, especially up hill. I decided the smartest thing to do is to rest it for a few days. Missing a few short runs won't kill me, right? I just want to make sure that this doesn't do anything to jeopardize my race. That would make me so sad. I am working so hard and I want to make it to see the finish line on June 14th!
