Reminiscing on running

I just read through my post of running the Lakefront Marathon on October 4, 2009. I can't believe I did it.

What I didn't post about afterward was sleeping for 14 hours that night (until 11 AM the next morning), and sweating profusely the entire time I slept, like I had contracted the flu.

I didn't mention how every. single. muscle. and. joint. in my body ached. That I should have taken the advice of the brownie lady at mile 18 and submerged my entire body in an ice bath within hours of finishing the race.

I still have a vivid memory of attempting to walk down the stairs at Greg's house in Shorewood to get to the computer, grabbing both stair rails and dragging my legs down the stairs because my arm muscles -- although aching -- could still function compared to any of my leg muscles.

I'm not saying I'll ever run a marathon again. The training at best is difficult and at worst is exhausting and demoralizing;  the race, while gratifying, is still grueling; the recovery cumbersome and frustrating.

But running is still all worth it.

I continue to run now. I've actually convinced and succeeded in making my fiance, Greg (more on that later) run his first half marathon race this last weekend. We chose to run the Green Bay Cellcom half marathon. The first organized race I ever ran back in May 2009.

We ran the entire course together, pushing one another when the other was dragging behind (which was mostly him pushing me -- I'm pretty sure Greg was running on an adrenaline rush 90 percent of the run.)

We finished the race in 2:25:23, with an 11:06 pace. Not too shabby when it's 85 degrees F and humid at 9 AM in the morning. Officials cancelled the race officially at 9:35 AM, less than five minutes after we crossed the finish line.

Although we're both aching today, I think I *might* have  convinced him to run the Milwaukee Mini Marathon. Maybe.