20 Miles, 10 Minutes on Ice and 1 Orthotic

I won't bury the lede: I feel great. I ran 20 miles today, 20 big ones. 20! The sturm and drang of my feet turned out to be much less dramatic than anticipated. I had dialed down my expectations for relief based on the appearance and feel of my orthoses, which I wept over and then wore for several hours yesterday. I wore them this morning when I walked Dooley and, predictably, it wasn't all that enjoyable. I wasn't sure if I should start the run wearing them because if there was a problem, it could affect the whole run--and this run was important. I wanted to do the full 20. This was my last chance before we officially taper. Some folks did 20 milers last weekend and even earlier. Not me. This training season has been compressed and that hasn't been ideal for novices like me. If I had decided to just run a fulll in Alaska, I'd have several more weeks to build, but I'm bound for San Diego first and I've got to be ready for it.

After consultation with Steve, I decided to wear the orthoses for the first 5 miles, follow the plan to stop every 30 minutes and carry my pimped insoles in case things went horribly wrong.
Mind you, the foot doctor said I should run with the orthoses 5 miles the first time out. The coach said no more than an hour on the long run. It was the same difference because my first 5 miles took 1:07. To my surprise, my right foot felt pretty darn good. It still went numb, cramped up and burned, but there was some discernable improvement. Hallelujah!

It would be a wild exaggeration to say it was comfortable, but I didn't have any sharp pain. I didn't want to take the orthoses off, but I also didn't want to push my luck. After about 30 minutes, I switched to the pimped ones and immediately felt the difference. It didn't take long for the pain to build, so I stopped again and put on the orthoses. (There's something really wretched sounding about that word.) Unfortunately, there was some friction with the left one and a blister started to develop. I decided to switch again to the pimped model for lefty, but kept the orthotic on my right foot. That seemed to work. I observed the plan to stop every 30 minutes, but found I needed additional stops after the first 7 miles or so. It's possible--I'm hopeful--that as I get used to these new uber-pimped insoles, I'll need to stop less frequently. The orthoses aren't a silver bullet. In time, they may be a pewter slug.

The weather was lovely--maybe a tad warm-ish--and the run itself was a mostly scenic path along the Bronx River Parkway. There were little bursts of buttercups along the path, and I found myself singing "Build Me Up, Buttercup." Stands of Queen Anne's lace led me to "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go." I got a lot of mileage out of my version of "Beat Goes On" and some of my greatest dance hits. I steered clear of politics for the most part. I went for a more meditative and therapeutic run today. I didn't want to be riled up about anything. I really just loved being out there by myself feeling good.

As the day wore on, it got sort of hot in the unshaded areas. I'm not sure why the coaches didn't bring some bottled water out on the course. I was loaded up with gels, Clif bloks, sports drink and water, but there's only so much liquid one can carry. I started to get a little woozy somewhere around mile 16, which was a bit worrisome. I was definitely dehydrated and could have easily bonked given how long I was out there. I kept hoping that the coaches would think of bringing some water. I knew that at some point they'd come out to meet me since I would be the last one in, but I had to stop thinking about it. I was imagining that scene in "Lifeboat" when Gus is so thirsty that he tries to sneak a sip of sea water even though that's the worst thing for him. At one point, I started to think ugly thoughts, but turned my head around quickly. I think I would have a stronger run in those last couple of miles if I had been better hydrated. My legs weren't giving out. My feet were sort of shot, but it was just the same old pain, which I can endure. I finished smiling. Hell, I'm going to run a marathon in a couple of weeks. I know I can do it.

All indications were for a rocky road today, starting with when I woke up at 5:00 and found a bed bug. One of my neighbors mentioned having discovered some, too. It turned out to be a beautiful day. I forced myself to take the recommended 10-minute ice bath. Yikes! I don't notice a difference (my back always hurts and does now, too), but maybe I'll feel the benefits tomorrow. Now if only someone would come over and do my laundry, I could take the snooze I deserve. A boring recap, perhaps, but firsts must be noted in hideous blow-by-blow detail. This was my first 20-mile run. As Ramon would say, "Awesome!"

Today: 20 miles
Miles to date: 273.15