23 miles - done!

Well, I made it through 23 miles.  I erred on the side of caution and didn't want to risk getting hurt.  I got to 20 miles and was feeling like crap so my friend Rebekka (whose knee was hurting) and I decided to walk the last three miles.  But we still crossed the finish line.  So I know now I can definitely get through 20 miles and if I have to, I can walk the last six in Honolulu.

Of course I'm kicking myself for quitting at 20 and walking the rest of the way but I guess that's my ego talking.  The good thing is I woke up the next morning and felt no pain at all.  I was a little stiff (naturally) but once I got moving and stretched I felt great.  No lingering pain or anything from the pulled hamstring.  And I felt great after both of the runs I've done this week since then.  Looks like the hamstring is completely healed so walking was probably the right choice.  But there's still part of me that feels like I failed.  I have to keep telling myself that the only thing that matters is crossing that finish line in Honolulu, regardless of how long it takes.  I just have to cross that line and then have a mai tai.

It was really cool getting to the end of 23 miles on Saturday.  They set up a finish line at the end with balloons and a ribbon that you broke through at the end and they gave us all medallions.  This is the last long run we're doing until the marathon (the next three weeks are just short 8-mile recovery runs) and the organizers from APLA really made a big deal out of it.  We all brought food and had a celebratory lunch afterwards.  It was quite special. 

Here's what I looked like after 23 miles (notice the salt stains on my shirt and hat).

Next stop:  Honolulu.

I guess I'm lazy

I don't know how people keep up blogs regularly.  I just realized I haven't updated this blog in almost two months.  Since that time, I've recovered from my hamstring injury, run 20 miles, adopted a dog and been cast in a play. 

So tomorrow morning is the 23-mile run.  I'm feeling pretty good but still filled with trepidation about it.  I worry most about reinjuring my hamstring.  I've been stretching it regularly and haven't had any pain in about three weeks but 23 miles is still 23 miles.  I don't mind soreness and stiffness - that's natural.  But out-and-out pain is another story.  The woman I went to for physical therapy suggested I skip the 23-miler - her attitude was "if you can do 20, you can do 26.  Why risk injuring yourself at this point?"  I see her point, but I need the confidence boost of completing the last long-distance hurdle before the actual marathon.  After this we taper off our long runs so the next long run will be the Marathon itself.  I'm going to be cautious tomorrow and if there's any sign of trouble, I'll stop running.  I still have a month to go before the Marathon so if there's any sign of injury tomorrow I'll just stop and and err on the side of caution.  By the way, here's a picture of me at the finish line at 20 miles.

So I mentioned we adopted a dog.  We made the mistake of driving past a mobile adoption fair (the East Valley Animal Shelter) and we stopped.  We've been wanting to get a second dog ever since our boy Clive died two years ago but Stella, our temperamental girl dog, is not a very dog-friendly dog.  In fact, she's pretty much a (rhymes with witch) around other dogs.  But I met this dog at the adoption fair and he was older (we'd have to get a male if we were going to adopt because there is no way Stella would put up with a female) and very sweet so his volunteer handler suggested we go get Stella and bring her back so she could meet him on neutral turf.  So we did and it took a while but eventually she got to the point where she was walking with him and sniffing him (at first she went after him and snapped at him as she is wont to do when confronted with another dog) and then we worked with a volunteer dog trainer for a half-hour and Stella did great.  Of course when we brought the new dog home and she was on her turf, she went after him and scared the crap out of him but after a couple of times he said "Alright, I've had enough of this" and went right back at her and like any bully, she stopped when she was confronted and then looked to me for support.  So now it's three weeks later and while they're not best friends, they're squaring off much less and occasionally lick each other's faces (maybe they're tasting each other for the kill) so it looks like things are working out.  It's nice having two dogs again and it's especially cool being greeted by both of them when we come home. 

By the way, I mentioned he was older:  when the shelter sent us his paperwork from when they got him (he was a stray), they listed his condition as "geriatric."  Perfect dog for me - we sit on the couch and complain about our ailments.  The vet said his hips are a little arthritic but he has his spry moments.  He's mostly cattle dog and he likes to run after me in the back yard and herd me.  He slaps at my feet with his paws to get me going in the direction he wants.  It's pretty damn cute.  We named him Ozzie.  The shelter was calling him Ike but my wife didn't like that name because it made her think of Ike Turner.  I kept calling him by different names with no response but when I said "Hey Ozzie" his ears perked up and he looked at me with his tail wagging so he became Ozzie.  This is Ozzie.

And this is Stella (she doesn't like being left out).

Stella doesn't like sprinklers.

I think I'm a little too fixated on my dogs sometimes.

Oh well, wish me luck tomorrow.