Running, like most things in life, is about choices for me. It often causes me pain and a lot of people have told me that I should consider not doing it. But it's important to me. I can't really explain why, and a lot of people don't get it. I'm lucky that my physical therapist understands and hasn't told me to stop flat out. However, she has mentioned the dilemma a few times. We've talked quite a bit about the anti-inflammatories, one of many tools in my 'toolbox'. The thing is, I don't want to be on medication forever. There's no particular reason other than I don't like medication. But it does make a huge difference. So much so, in fact, that I decided to go back up to 2 doses a day. I've been really uncomfortable for the past few weeks since tapering down to once a day, so I consulted with the doctor and with my dad, and I had to make a choice: do the activity I love with the help of medication, or stop doing the activity that I love.
It seems like an easy decision when I write it that way, but it wasn't. Anyway, I decided to go back up to 2x a day, but I was still concerned about tackling 18 miles yesterday. I've been feeling really achy, plus tired and stressed from work, which didn't help. (I do have a vacation coming up, which I am confident will do wonders). The renegade group ran Friday morning, but I was too busy planning a farewell for a dear co-worker to join them. So I went to bed at 8:30pm and got up at 4am for a 6:15am meeting time on Saturday morning. I felt better after a good night's sleep, but I really had to fight to shake off the nerves I felt.
We started with a 5 mile loop in CP, then exited the park at 72nd street and ran to Park Avenue, which was closed to traffic as part of Summer Streets. It was so awesome to see all of Park stretching out ahead of us, full of runners and bikers and all kinds of cool booths alongside us. I love seeing the city from another angle. We ran past the doorman buildings, through midtown (through the tunnel at GCT), down to Union Square to 4th Avenue to Lafayette Street, all closed to cars. I almost felt like I was running down First Ave on marathon Sunday, minus the gazillion spectators. We ran past the Brooklyn Bridge to Park Row, to Broadway, past the bull statue by Bowling Green, where De was parked with a car stocked full of Gatorade and snacks. I made a beeline for the fig newtons before we took off back up the West Side Highway. We took a few extra walk breaks towards the end, but eventually we ended up back at 72nd Street. It took us 5 hours of 1/1 intervals, but we did the 18! The end on the West Side felt particularly long because we could see every block as we passed, but we made it. I am a true believer in the power of anti-inflammatories. My knee hurt a little by the end, but all in all, I felt much better than I thought I would. I took an ice bath and a nap when I got home, but I've been up and about today and was able to go to yoga in the park this morning, which felt fabulous.
Here are a few other cool/random things that we saw yesterday:
1) Al Roker riding his bike on the WSH.
2) A girl in a sparkly ensemble hula-hooping alongside the foot path.
3) Two Asian gentlemen in full business attire out for a jog along Park Avenue.
4) A water station in SoHo providing NYC tap water (supposedly the best in the world) to runners passing by. There was even a little dog dish underneath.
I hope I made the right decision, increasing the medication. Every day is different. Next week is a shorter week, and then we're up to 20 miles in two Saturdays. We'll see. The marathon is getting closer and closer!
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