Week 15 - Legs, Don't Fail Me Now!

My Tuesday run of this week was an interesting one.  I forgot to charge my IPod, and the battery died within the first few minutes.  It wasn't as bad as I thought, though- I somehow was able to entertain myself and push through a little more than 3 miles. Central Park is great for people watching.  And dog watching.  And runner watching.  And tree watching.  And taxi watching.  And squirrel watching.

You'll look at anything when you're panting through 3 miles in 37 degrees with no IPod.

I noticed thought that my right calf is super tight again. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get that thing to loosen up.  As a result, my right ankle is feeling kind of stiff as well.  In general, I'm getting kind of sick/bored of the Central Park Hills!  I live on the North End of the Park too, so my short runs during the week always begin and end with the steepest hills in the park.  Give me a break!  The good news is, Disney is largely a flat course- so I'll probably be better conditioned than I'll need to be.  Take that, Minnie Mouse!

The next day I was an idiot.  A downright idiot.  I bought some new shoes (they didn't have my favorite Asics in stock in my size...the Turtle is 5'10" and has a big foot to match) and immediately went to the gym and did a speed session with them on.  Doh!

My knees and ankles were feeling it by the end (and I hadn't even given myself a day of rest as well).  This was not my most intelligent workout ever, but I'm learning what my body can and can't handle.

At leat I was smart enough not to run again until Saturday...my first ever 19-miler!  Shout-out time: Sue from Galloway NYC started the morning with me (6 AM!) on the West Side Greenway for 10.5 miles.  Then she handed me off to Galloway's Dave for a 5-mile Central Park loop.  Mike then met me at mile 15.5 (with a much needed banana- yay!) and we finished it out.  When I got home, I mapped it all, and realized I had done a total of 20.28 miles.  Good God!  It took me 4 hours and 17 minutes...which is about what I expected.  I think I'll be a little faster on marathon day,  but who knows?  My right ankle and calf had loosened up during the run, but in the aftermath I felt them just a bit. 

I'm pretty psyched about and surprised by how much I enjoy these long runs, and how quickly the time passes.  Who knew I'd love long-distance training so much?  I sure wish I could bump into my high school gym teacher one of these days.  She'd probably faint from the shock.

By the way, on Sunday I returned those shoes and was able to track down the new release of the Asics I love in my big old size.  Hello, old friend.

Sarathon or bust!