Recovering

Race recovery is going well. It’s a help and a hindrance that the kids are off school a few days this week; I can’t really run during the day with them, so I’m necessarily limited to running before Eric goes to work…and I’ve gotten spoiled about not running with a flashlight. But most of the aches and pains appear to be gone, which is a little better than I experienced after Kenosha; I had less soreness overall then, but the IT band pain that I had was more than enough to slow me down considerably. I can tolerate some simple soreness in the quads, thanks!

Chatted with a friend today at a MOPS playdate, and I may just strong-arm her into doing either the Army Ten-Miler or the half-marathon at the Air Force Marathon. (You won’t mind, will you, Karri? ) I do intend to do both of them at some point (the full distance at the Air Force), and I’d love some training company!

My marathon photos are up! Boy, you can tell which photos were snapped late in the race; my form went all to pieces as I got more and more tired. Those ones where I look all strong, with my arms raised, aren’t lying; I did feel pretty good at that point. The guy in the blue shirt must not have, and he joked as we passed the first one that this would probably be the last photo ever taken of him. We passed the second photographer about twenty seconds later, and I said, “No, this one will be the last!” He found that funny.

Other funny things I saw along the course:

• The guy on the bridge around mile 20 wearing a Grim Reaper costume, ringing a bell and holding a sign that said, “The End is Near!”
• The group of spectators from West Virginia University, holding a Flying WV banner, at whom I whooped whenever I passed and who hollered back for me
• The girl with the sign that read, “JAMIE, I’M PREGNANT!” (Would have loved to see Jamie’s reaction!)
• The folks handing out cups of beer around mile 23

Anyway! Gabe’s non-family birthday party is tomorrow, and he’s looking forward to that. Trick-or-Treat is actually happening on Halloween this year, miracle of miracles, and that, too, is an eagerly-awaited happening. Life is moving on, and we’re all looking to the Next Big Thing. I’ve got other running events on the horizon – a Thanksgiving run, a Jingle Bell one – but I have yet to pull the trigger on the next major one…