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July 10, 2005
It's always something
I was very grateful that B., who we sometimes run with in the mornings, was going to the Bronx Half and offered me a ride. Also in the car was his neighbor, who incidentally is a Team for Kids member! Funny. Anyway, we got up to the start in the Bronx pretty quickly but had some trouble parking. I jogged from the car to the port-a-potties and realized that if I wanted to use one, I'd have to forget about getting in a good warmup. It was hot anyway, so I was already sweating. The start was delayed by ten minutes because of some road closure problems, so at least I got a spot close to the front and was able to stretch while I waited.
When we started, I felt like everyone around me was sprinting. I knew I didn't want to race it like a normal HM, because it was hot (but thankfully not too humid) and because I'm experimenting with marathon paces, but of course I got a little caught up in it for the first mile. I want my "natural" marathon pace to be closer to 7:30 rather than 8:00, so I thought this was a good time to prove to myself that the pace didn't feel as hard as I thought. (I would also like to prove to myself that I can race a HM at close to 7:00 pace, but today wasn't the day for that.)
After about two miles, my body felt just fine except I could sense my calves tightening up, something that I've been having a problem with recently and that I struggled with in college. First they tighten up and then my feel fall asleep. It hasn't been as bad in recent memory as it was today, unfortunately. I did stop for maybe 20 seconds to try and stretch, but it didn't help--the only thing that helps is taking my shoes off and wiggling my toes a lot. So I figured, I'll just try to forget about the feeling. But it was like having two big ice blocks on my feet--I couldn't feel anything and I was worried that I was going to hurt something and not notice it. Still, I pressed on because I know that after about 30 minutes, the feeling goes away. Miraculously it did subside and I breathed a big sigh of relief. Except for one woman who I should have tried to catch at mile 10, I ended up pleased with my 1:39 time for today. It was way off my PR, but I didn't feel particularly pressed or that I was breathing hard until the last half-mile when I attempted to sprint to the finish (bad idea.) After the whole foot thing, I was just glad to feel better. I cooled down a couple of miles when I was done and noticed that my feet and lower calves were very sore, but I didn't have any re-occurence of the pins and needles feeling.
The course today was pretty hilly. There were two steep uphills and two (I think) steep downhills and the rest was more gradual. It definitely wasn't too scenic or shady, which made a few of the miles drag on, but it was interesting to run in the Bronx not that far from where my dad grew up. Apparently the neighborhood has changed a lot since then! I wish we were going to still be in NYC for the next HM, which is Manhattan. I don't know if they do this at all the longer races, but they gave out popsicles at the end and it was AWESOME on a day like today!!
This afternoon, I took a nap and hung out here and then Matt and I went for a walk in the new, trendy DUMBO neighborhood between the Brooklyn and Manhattan neighborhoods. We quickly realized how hot of a day it was for walking around and came home and took care of some errands. I considered going to the gym, but even we obsessives have to admit sometimes when we're tired. I just couldn't face leaving the a/c again!
If anyone has ever had this foot numbness problem and has any ideas, please let me know!
Posted by becky at July 10, 2005 6:04 PM
Comments
Hey, I don't have any info on the foot problems, but that is a great HM time! I am so glad you are happy with it. And you achieved it even with the calf issue...Hmmm..interesting. Anyway, I hope it resolves soon. Have a good week.
Posted by: Audrey at July 10, 2005 7:53 PM
Congrats on a good run - it wasn't really a day for fast times. I liked those popsicles too! G'luck with the foot problem, I wish I had some good advice for you.
Posted by: derek at July 10, 2005 10:44 PM
Good job in the race. I don't really have any thoughts on the numb feet thing although maybe you are in the wrong shoe?
Posted by: Barb at July 11, 2005 1:17 PM
Congratulations! I'm glad you had a good race! Hope your feet/legs feel better!
Posted by: Nanda at July 11, 2005 1:58 PM
Becky, great job at your race especially consideing your calf issues. I hope they're feeling better now.
Posted by: Leilani at July 13, 2005 10:46 PM
OMG! This same exact thing happens to me when I run cross country, & it gets worse when its hotter out. If you find anything out about what the problem is, email please. thanx.
(Someone told me it might be lack of potassium in my diet, but IDK)
Posted by: Bethany at October 3, 2007 6:38 PM