Kicking and Screaming (and Running)

I did it! I finally got up when my alarm went off (6 a.m. Sunday morning) and went for my 18 mile run. Uhhh 18 miles, doesn’t that just sound miserable? Well, it is more or less :). I’m kidding, it actually wasn’t that bad. I just had to do it and I’m happy I did. I feel pretty sore today mostly in my legs but also my upper back? I remember after my first marathon feeling sore everywhere. Places I’ve never felt sore before. I guess it’s just inevitable at that distance .

Overall, the run was pretty good. It’s so funny though the emotions I go through during long runs. I’ll go from excited and motivated, to frustrated and just pissed off in a matter of minutes. There were points where I was waving and saying hi to people passing me by, then the next minute tempted to throw a stick in front of their bike or push ’em off the sidewalk (not really…but sort of).

I’m sure if someone could listen to my thoughts during these long runs, they would be very amused. I tried to keep my head up though and stay motivated. The hardest part was the last two miles. They always feel so much longer than they actually are.

My ipod died again too. It did the same thing it did last week, when I pressed “end workout” it restarted itself and erased the workout I just did. One of these days when I’m in my angry phase during a long run, I’m gonna chuck that thing into the street.

Anyway, I made it! Here were yesterday’s stats:

Marathon Training: Week 15

• Distance: 18.00 miles
• Time: 1 hour 29 minutes
• Pace: 8:16 min/sec
• Calories: 1,265

I’ve been wearing my compression socks but honestly, I can’t tell if they make a difference or not. I may have been duped. They feel good though so I guess they can’t hurt. My run started with some serious nerve pinching in my left pinky toe. It felt worse than usual so maybe the compression socks are making it worse? When it’s tolerable, it feels like my toe is asleep. Yesterday, it felt like my toe was on fire. But after a while it went away. I’ve noticed some tingling down the back of my right leg too. This has happened before. I know what doctors will say, “take time off, don’t run, etc.” Well, I’m clearly not going to do that right now. Only a few more weeks then I’ll take a break!! I’ve definitely been foam rolling and trying to stay stretched but maybe that’s not enough.

Any suggestions on good leg or nerve stretches? Have you ever had issues with nerve pinching in your toes? How did you handle it?

Happy Monday ya’ll!