How Was Your Trip

Yesterday was my last scheduled "long" run prior to the Mohawk-Hudson Marathon, Sunday, October 11th. It was the third "long" run of this session. My first one was titled the, "Nightmare on Glenridge". The second was better, but I still felt something was missing. I was looking forward to this final "long" training run.

The weather is always a factor here in Florida. This summer has seemed warmer than usual. Most of the runners in the training program echo that statement. Saturday, we caught a break with a start time temperature of 76 and humidity at 67%, about as good as it gets!

We started out at 4:00am to beat the heat. Get as many miles in before the sunrise. There were five of us who were running long; Jennifer, Erin, Nigel, Joe and myself. We eased into our run careful not to run too fast, too early. The miles clicked off and we were on our way back to meet some others from our group who were starting later.

Many of the streets we run on are in the beautiful city of Winter Park. To add to the ambiance of the city, many of the streets are paved with bricks. Nice looking, but watch your step. More than one runner has fallen victim to the mystery of the "jumping brick". That's the one that despite it looking flush with the others, manages to "jump" up just as you approach. This morning I became the victim of the "jumping brick".

As we made our way along Via Tuscany (can't you just picture that street in your mind?) at mile 7 of the run, down I went. It happened so fast, no time to think, all just reaction. Tuck and roll! First I went forward fully extended, then I rolled over completely. For some reason the area I rolled in was very sandy. Take one sweaty body, roll it in a patch of sand and you've got a mess! In a matter of a split second I was up and running, then I checked for injuries. Since I was running, I knew my legs were fine. I could feel my right hand throbbing. I must have used it to break my fall. I tried to wipe the sand from my legs and arms, but it didn't come off. I felt like I was rubbing sand paper on my skin.

We got to our water stop where there was some light and I could use the water to rinse. I also found abrasions to my left knee and left elbow that I hadn't seen out on the road. Good thing was that everything was moving fine and I was not injured. Our next water stop had a bathroom with a sink and running water. I was finally able to wash myself off and survey the damage. Onward, I still had 9 more miles to go!

By the time I finished the 22 miles, I was sore. Sore from the pounding of 22 miles. My "trip" was an adventure, but one I can now smile at. With three weeks left until my marathon, I did not need to get injured. I have put in too much effort into my attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

So I can look back on this run and ask myself, "how was your trip" :-)