Lessons learned
Yesterday my darling and I ran the farthest we’ve ever run: 22.72 miles. In two weeks we’ll run even longer — a full marathon — before we start our taper for Medoc. As I sit here recovering, I think of the lessons learned from our run:
1. 22.72 miles is FREAKIN’ long
2. It’s best to wear sunscreen, even on cloudy days
3. If you DON’T wear sunscreen, expect to get the goofiest suntan on the arm where you’ve strapped your iPod
4. You’ll listen to 58 songs (and 6 seconds of song #59) during your 4 1/4 hour run — everything from “Enter Sandman” to “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” to “Grandma’s Feather Bed”
5. Your route will take you past breath-taking scenery — the houseboats on Lake Union, the historic buildings of Pioneer Square, Alki Point, the Seattle waterfront, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle Center — yet you’ll want to hold your breath on several occasions — while passing by the urine-soaked alleys of Pioneer Square, the exhaust-filled Airport Way, the makeshift potties in the underbrush on Harbor Island, the rotting seagull on Alki Beach
6. While tourists help make Seattle a vibrant city, it sure sucks having to wind through throngs of ’em
7. There are better fountains to drink from than the one in “needle park”
8. 22.72 miles is FREAKIN’ long
9. When choosing a restaurant for your victory lunch, it’s best NOT to choose one with an entry-way staircase with 25 steps at a 80-degree angle
10. Once you arrive at your designated restaurant, you will NOT want to run around the block(s) an additional .28 miles for an even 23 miles (or even .03 miles for an even 22.75 miles); you’ll want to stop now, dammit, NOW!
11. Although your water intake was about a gallon, your output will be less than a shot glass
12. Just when you’re thinking you’re all that and a bag of chips, you realize you have two CD-sized sweat stains on your boobs
13. Your cat will confuse you for a salt lick
14. Beer has incredible curative properties
15. Did I happen to mention, 22.72 miles is FREAKIN’ long?
July 24th, 2007 at 5:53 am
this is hysterical … way to go! #9, #10, #12 are my favorites! i have “get jiggy with it to” … sounds like you got totally jiggy & rocked that run.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:27 am
Well done… and thanks for a very funny post! I am planning on entering for my first marathon soon, so I’ll definitely bookmark your blog 🙂
July 24th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Thank you for stopping by! And best of luck with your training.
July 25th, 2007 at 11:45 am
That is one heck of a long way but I do think that bear was invented for the end of such occasions.
July 27th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Congrats on your run! And, I love your list! I agree 4 1/2 hours of music will generally give you a little of everything.
August 1st, 2007 at 3:26 am
Hi, I am a lapsed runner. I started have issues with runner’s knee but it’s still a bit of a dream of mine to run a marathon. I have run two 5Ks and that felt good.
My question is: do you ever have issues with black toenails?
I’ve been told two different things. It’s par for the course, it separates the hard core runners from the fly by night runners. And it is an issue of ill-fitting running shoes.
Sadly, I have hung up my running shoes in favor of the elliptical machine and weights. But if you could unlock the mystery of black toenails for me I might feel there is hope yet.
August 1st, 2007 at 6:53 am
Funny you should mention that — one of my toes on my left foot now has a funky nail! However, I can’t say it’s from ill-fitting shoes; mine fit fine. I’m assuming it’s from the constant pounding during the long runs. However, if you got them from doing shorter runs, then the shoes could be a problem.
Where do you buy your shoes? I used to just buy mine at a cheapo shoe store (one that doesn’t specialize in running shoes) and would have lots of problems (IT band issues, etc.). I now buy mine at a specialty store. Yes, they’re more expensive, but the staff knows what they’re talking about and they can analyze your gait.
Thank you for stopping by; hopefully I’ll continue to provide the inspiration you need to lace up your running shoes once again!