16 Miles and that Damned Ankle

It was off early yesterday morning for a 16 mile run. When I say early, I mean I got out of bed at 7, and began the run at 7:55.  Why DOES it take so long to throw on some shorts, eat breakfast, apply body glide, gather the iPod, mix the gatorade, scrounge out some gels, put on the shoes and head out the door?  It just seems to me that I have to get up early just to get all the run prep done.  :-(

  Speaking of Gels, there was a shortage yesterday. I woke in the middle of the night and realized that I had run out last week and hadn't replenished supplies. Thankfully I had a couple Gu Hardrock samples that I was given at a party last year. Yes, while chatting with a girl at the party I found out she was an employee of Gu and I told her how much I loved it. She surprised me with some top secret samples of a product they were testing for elite athletes. Since I clearly look like an elite athlete, she thought I could be a guinea pig.  I only had two left to run all of yesterday's 16 miles.

  I was also short an ankle brace--it had somehow been left on my desk at school. So, doubly handicapped I headed out high in spirit if not supplies.

  The first mile went incredibly well. I reached the highest altitude of my run gasping only slightly. Clearly my fitness is improving. If you've ever been to my house you know that the only way out is up, and the first mile is UP!!!! The blessing is that after mile one it is downhill for the next 3.  It is at mile 4 that my first water break stop comes in. It's a great place to stop and get some water, blow my nose, fill-up water bottles, pee if need be. This would turn out to be my only water stop all day, a fact of which I am quite proud.

  In order to complete 16 miles it was necessary to cross the Golden Gate Bridge and back, then head through the marina, on to fisherman's wharf and the Ferry Building. To have done all of that (12 miles) without a water stop was something I hadn't done in quite some time. There were still 3 times when I was forced to walk because of knee pain, but that was OK. I've actually found that if I stop to walk when my knee hurts it gives the muscles time to recover, and the pain goes away. More importantly, I don't end up limping for several days afterward.

  When I reached the end of the run I had to sprint even further--something I did none too gracefully--in order to catch the train home. The train conductor actually almost left because she thought I was a jogger. Ooops. Must have been the costume.

  Home to ice. I tried out the new ice bath method (see "Ice, Ice, Baby") and it worked swimmingly. I sat down in warm water then chilled the hell out of it. As the water rose my body got used to it. Before I knew it I was submerged in an ice bath and still had sight of genitalia. Of course, there was a point when I thought there was going to be a retreat on par with Monty Python "Run Away! Run Away!", but it never happened.  Anyway, 15 minutes in the ice bath and today the only thing that hurts is my un-braced ankle, which I've got an appointment to have checked out tomorrow.

Week in Review:

Miles: 34.05

Time: 5:36:07

Pace: 9:52/mile

Overall Impression: Sixpack Be Ready For Marathon! Eat My Dust, Forest F. Gump! (SBRFM!EMD,FFG!)