Saturday was Aunt Ginny's Birthday. And even though my body was saying "NO...your bum hip needs more rest"...I felt inspired to celebrate her memory and birthday with a 22 mile run.
The running group met at Boston College, which sits right at the foot of the legendary "Heartbreak Hill" in Chestnut Hill @ about mile 21-22 on the marathon course. The idea was to run from mile 22 to mile 11 and turn around, thus experiencing the heart of the course (miles 11-22) on the way back, with the same exhaustion you will on race day, especially the Newton hills.
There was a festive atmosphere along the marathon course, with thousands of runners getting their long runs in. Several charities and running clubs had water stops and cheering sections. Some media, lots of colors. And most importantly, most Newton drivers seemed to expect and give ample space to the runners.
The right hip was screaming at me at the start, but I chose to run with other runners, principally Marc, who was nursing a shin injury. For most of the run, Marc's GPS watch kept our pace and the occasional conversation kept the time moving and discomfort at bay. The last 8 miles was a bit chaotic however. I took a bathroom break. I tried to make up the distance, but my legs were like rocks. I think I didn't have enough glycogen stores, lack of sleep, and I was compensating for my hip with other muscles that weren't used to the pounding. I caught up with Marc later because he was having hamstring cramping, and the 2 of us basically limped back to BC.
Strangely though, I felt I did alright given the circumstances, good spirits kept me going. I hope and I don't think I injured myself more.
But I knew there had to be serious inflammations all over my legs, and deep in the hip.
When I got home, Alicia discovered I was filling up the bathtub with cold water...and then I dumped in all the ice we had in the fridge, and jumped in.
I hate cold water...but there is a certain mental toughness...or perhaps numbness...or perhaps stupidity that comes after a long run, that a little ice is not going to bother you.
I hope the 20 minutes I spent in there stopped excess swelling...or else I turned blue for no good reason.
I then later Saturday had the fortune of being invited to a colleague's daughter's 16th birthday party, and although we arrived late, there was still loads of delicious Indian food, and I was able to replenish my stores with rice, biryani, and some wonderful vegetarian dishes and desserts. And there was much rejoicing in this birthday milestone in a young girl's life, reminding me of the full circle of life and renewals we all should be grateful for.
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