Wahoo and Owww!

Sunday I did my second 1/2 marathon and the big news is that I finished about 55 minutes under my previous time!!!!!!!!!!!  Forgive my abundance of exclamation points, but I am very pleased and proud of myself, especially as the day was fairly difficult.

As all my races have been, this was in San Francisco, with the start/finish lines in Golden Gate Park, and almost half the race along the Great Highway.  It was very windy, cold, and rainy, so no layers were shed throughout the race and I actually was wearing a thin, plastic poncho throughout.  

I ran a good bit during the first half of the race.  I don't think that I can say that I ran half the time, but maybe close.  I also may have seen Jeremy Davies on the side of the course, but I cannot confirm that, either.  I did have half a thought of shouting his name as I ran around the corner to see if he looked.  Moving on.  I ran a bit during the first half, but due to a lack of distance training in the last 4 months, my body just wasn't having it.  Something must be amiss in my gait, because even during the race, my right leg got much more tired and sore than the right.  I still can't walk normally, but it's mostly to blame on my right hip flexor.  Oh, and that my calves don't want to, you know, extend.  And my ankles are weary of picking up my feet.  Nothing too major.  

So I barely ran at all during the second half, but I did eventually get the endorphin rush and I really did shift into some miraculous high gear around 10.5 miles.  I was simply a walking machine, trying to make it to my goal without falling over.  I threw in a few half-hearted attempts at jogging, especially towards the finish line, but they were more like pathetic shuffles, so I just went back to power walking.  I am extremely grateful for my mp3 player and it really was my music which kept my spirits up and my legs going when I was going against the wind in the last 3 miles.  

Next up: sprint triathlon in May. It's really going to be easier than the marathon, so I'm looking forward to it.  Maybe triathlons will be my new things.  

Nothing exciting. Just a log.

Gym was super crowded last night. Barely a machine available, so I swam first. That was good since I was very sore from my weights on Monday, and the swimming loosened me up, even though I was wheezing like a smoker. I did 10 laps and worked a little on a flip turn.
Machines were still full after swimming, so I grabbed a recumbent bike (one of the only cardio machines available) and listened to a sermon from our old church. About 13 miles in 33 minutes. I'm not pretending that this reflects my possible speed on the road.
Abs- ouch. Some biceps since they don't really get much in the pool, and stretching, which I always love.
One change in the past few months- I can now sit on my knees on the ground and my butt actually touches my heels. There used to be a large space due to tight hip flexors and muscles. Yay for progress!