After the jump: we're still talking about running, huh
Shortly after my last post about running, I signed up for a marathon. Now, I should clarify: this was mostly not my fault. I knew I wanted to look at long-distance races next year to keep me running through the winter. It just so happened that when I went to do my research, I found that in early July, the Big Sur Marathon had its multi-stage drawing for registration slots.
My dad's run this twice: once with friends, once with my sister. And the marathon is cool beyond belief: you're literally just running up the Pacific Coast Highway from Big Sur to Carmel, flanked by mountains and the water. Every few miles, there's another musical act, from a grand piano at the midpoint of the race (halfway across the region's iconic bridge over a ravine) to taiko drummers at the foot of the race's longest uphill stretch, basically drumming you straight up the mountain. It's the only marathon dad's run, and seems like the most incredible possible marathon to begin with, so I figured: why not throw my hat in the ring? The marathon isn't until nearly May of 2020 (plenty of time to train) and if I don't get in, then I'll find something else to do. I pinged dad to see if he'd be game to try again despite a recent biking injury he's been recovering from, and he was extremely keen. We entered the couples-and-groups lottery.
And we got in.
And then I immediately messed up my knee.
Now, I know what happened: on a long-run Sunday that coincided with a visit to the folks, I ran into my mom and our dog on their walk right as I finished the race, so I took my "cooldown" walk with them, and then promptly jumped in the bath. No post-run stretching, no yoga. And the next couple of days, atypically, I wasn't able to commute via bike, which cut about 90 minutes of cross training out of each day. And then SHOCKINGLY my muscles overtightened and my knee got wonky.
So, the blessing-in-disguise: this was a good early reminder that as a lifelong not-runner I can't take shortcuts. Got to build my distances gradually, pay attention to running form, cross training, and post-running recovery. It's infinitely better to have this happen now than in April as I try to get my long runs closer to marathon length, so these lessons can be at the base of my training instead of a realization that knocks me out of the actual race.
Of course, me being me, I did a deep dive into what to do to take care of myself while running, reading and watching videos and talking to friends, bumping up an annual physical to check in with a doctor, and scheduling a private yoga session with my pal Allison. And this is when I realized the great con behind running: in order to not die, you have to do all these other workouts too. Yes, runner's body is a real thing (and your face really does trim up as your body absorbs those shocks and figures out how to stay functional). But basically, for all that acolytes will go on and on about how good running is for you, it could be that any activity that requires you to start regularly practicing yoga, lifting weights, and cycling or swimming, will ultimately make you get into shape?? MAYBE?
I kid, mostly - somehow this go round, running has really clicked and it's physically good for me in a way that little else has been. But it's also true that it's got this very annoying virtuous cycle whereby you just gotta keep expanding the ways you take care of yourself. Self-care: is there anything more dull???
Anyhow, the great discovery from my trip back to Minnesota for the state fair last weekend was that I still love swimming to death, and miraculously, swimming is the no-bones-about-it best cross training I have had for running. I went for two 3-4 mile runs in St. Paul along/across the Mississippi with a lot more terrain than I'm used to having in my Chicago runs, and swimming between those days (and after the second run) left me with quite literally no leg discomfort. It's an exciting discovery, and means I need to really look into a gym membership to make sure I keep having access to that tool.
So, that's the update on running! Yes: this blog is partly becoming a running blog in addition to being a travel blog. Just add wellness to the tags and we'll hit the Triple Crown of gross dumb blog topics!
Speaking of: more travel updates to come.... sometime. OK holiday weekend ahoy, hope you and your loved ones are eating some delicious sausages because starting on Tuesday it is autumn and we are only allowed to eat curry.
Til then.
