misery is optional

Yes, my friends, I did decide to run after all. Here's the proof:


This was a PDR for me (personal distance record), and I'm so crazy proud of myself. Even though I hurt like hell last night, and I've got a bit of soreness in my hip, the fact that I rested Friday and Saturday really seemed to help. Ice on Friday, heat on Saturday and there were no twinges by Sunday. I decided to give it a try, promising myself that I'd quit if I started hurting. And admittedly, miles 12 through 14 were a bit painful, but the pain was in my right front groin to hip area and there was nothing to do but finish at that point, so I just kept on.  I always joke that, especially with out and back routes, once I turn around I'm like a horse headed back to the barn.  I'll just go and go and go until I get there.  The last four miles of this run were like that for me.  It's all bearable if I know there's lying down and chocolate milk waiting for me.  This works for me, and I'm hoping to use this in the marathon, which is point-to-point rather than out and back.  Which means that every step I take is one back to the barn.

I've been reading (off and on, haltingly) Haruki Murakami's book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, in which he says "Pain is inevitable. Misery is optional."  I definitely had this on my mind yesterday miles 12-14, and I've decided to use this as my mantra for this next phase of the training.  I'm going to hurt.  But what I do with that pain is up to me.  I can wallow in it, let it affect my attitude and my run.  Or I can acknowledge it, be aware of it, but run beside it.  This of course can backfire if you're actually injured, and you shouldn't be setting the pain aside, but I (mostly) know the difference between a tight muscle and an intense jabbing pain in my hind end.

I think it helped that I ran on dirt roads, and didn't have the camber that I usually deal with on asphalt, or the pounding that happens on a concrete trail.  I met one cow that had managed to get past her electric fence, a few dogs that were ambivalent to my presence on the road, even more that weren't (oh the jumping and the barking that went on (thankfully) behind fences), dropped my water bottle and had to backtrack for it, and discovered I don't like Gu Chomps.  The orange flavor tasted like an orange Ricola cough drop.  My go-to is still Cliff Shot Blocks, in case you care, which so far have been the only thing I'm able to choke down while running.  But all in all the run gets a thumbs up.  It was fairly quiet and traffic free, and almost every driver slowed down and moved way over when they came upon me.

If you're interested, you can check out the details with my Garmin data here: Garmin Connect - Activity Details for 3/7/10 14 Mile Run. The interesting thing about this data is you can see exactly where I jog back to get my water bottle, where I thought the cow was going to get me so I turned tail and went another direction.  I think the data is really cool.  I geek out over it all the time.

And now I'm going to try and keep my head off the desk at work today, and count the hours until my massage tonight.  Never was a massage more yearned for, at least by me.