Day 73 - May 19, 2010

16 miles 3 hours 40 seconds

Pete and I were both able to complete our 16 mile runs. It was the first really long run we had to do separately. It is a lot harder being out there by yourself, but at least we took turns being exhausted all afternoon, him yesterday, and me, today. It is not easy to give the kids a ton of extra energy and enthusiasm when you are both burnt out from a long run.
The weather was perfect today. It was not too hot, and there was a nice cool breeze. Pete mapped out a great eight mile loop that included a lot of "trails" (just flat gravel paths through parks). My knee felt great, and Pete did not complain of any major pain after his run either. I listened to two great episodes of This American Life. Both thoroughly entertained me, and one had me laughing out loud numerous times. I also checked out the new Band of Horses album, and liked it quite a bit. (Wow, three uninterrupted hours gives you a lot of listening time!) I did not hit the wall, and honestly, I did not feel too tired at the end of the run, but (yes, a big but coming) I developed a new pain! And, yes, I am calling it a "pain" not an injury.
This morning, even before leaving the house, my ankle was bothering me. It was sore yesterday too. I don't know if it was from the tough run on Monday, or the biking yesterday, but most likely it is a combination of both. In any case, I headed out, hoping for a sore muscle (and not tendinitis, or something worse)...The soreness continued through the entire run, but never got too bad until the last couple of miles. I finished the 16 miles, because it never got intolerable. I spent the last couple of miles just fantasizing about how lovely and ice bath was going to feel. I was happy to get home to an empty house (Pete and Owen got to spend a great afternoon together, ah, we are all so lucky to have Daddy around so much) where I gave my ankle a ton of extra attention, from an ice bath, to Aleve, to some very tight socks. It feels much better now (although it bothered me again this evening when I walked to the school with Sylvia and Owen for soccer practice). I'm planning a few rest extra rest days, and luckily we have a pretty easy week planned next week.
Don't worry training partner...I won't let you down...although I may slow you down....