Races Like a Girl

Well, my pulse returned to normal sometime overnight. It was elevated 10 beats per minute Monday and yesterday. This morning it was back to a healthy 44 BPM upon waking up.

I’m also almost walking normally again. Read that again. This is a hobby that I choose to do. Where I say things like, “I’m also almost walking normally again.”

I went out shopping yesterday, as we were having a Milk Crisis. That was sort of a mistake, as I obviously had trouble negotiating stairs and curbs, and wasn’t even walking that well. I’m sure people thought I had hemorrhoids or somesuch.

The high has lasted, although it’s fading. I’ve been pretty obnoxious, reporting on my race to anyone who looks in my direction. So much for keeping a low, humble profile.

But the next one‘s around the corner, and I need to start thinking of what my goal time for that race is. Plus I’ve the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon at the end of April. I’m practically blasé about it now: 13.1 miles? Easy peasy. A mere training run.

I can see how this is like heroin. The 5K is the gateway race. Before you know it, you’ve lost entire weeks and months to ultra marathoning with other addicts.

I did some reading today about Susan Loken, who won the More Marathon for the third year in a row. Here I’d thought she was another one of these lifelong runners, but in fact her running history is similar to mine (with the exception of running a marathon well over an hour faster than I can…heh heh): A non-athlete in her youth, a blob in her twenties and thirties, followed by a casual interest in “jogging,” all the way to qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Trials. Pretty impressive.

Tomorrow I’ll probably do some walking on the treadmill, and then try out a very short, very easy run on Friday to see how my legs feel.

Filed under: everyday life, inspiration, racing, training |