The day after the day after

The second day is always more painful

With my first steps out of bed this morning, I remembered my post-Cow Harbor experiences over the last two years. The day after the race is not a true barometer of the impact of the effort. It's the second morning, when the effects of the James Street hill manifest painfully in my quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves.

As noted in yesterday's post, I did not have a good run on Sunday. I'm choosing to believe that was due to going out on the road again too soon after that race. I'll try to remember that next year. Even though I usually skip my rest day and run when I'm home on a Monday, I'm not going to do that today. Instead, we are heading to one of our favorite parks to hike the trails. That seems like the perfect activity to help recover from post race soreness.

The post-race question I'm always asked

Enjoy it while you can

The exhilaration that comes after a race has about the same shelf-life as a loaf of freshly baked bread. Right after a race, once I've re-hydrated, re-fueled and rested, the world looks perfect. Endorphins are still plentiful and I feel proud and satisfied. The day after a race has its charms, especially for me, because it's usually a Monday and I get to re-live the experience with work friends.

By the third day, the pride is still there, but the bread isn't quite as fresh. I begin to ask myself questions like "Should I have taken two rest days as planned, or powered through and done an easy run today?" and "What's next to do after all that base training to prepare for my half marathon?" By Tuesday, not too many people are asking about my weekend.

I was asked (four times) yesterday, if I was now going to do a marathon (or in one case, a real marathon). My answer remained the same: No. If all things were equal, but I were 20 years younger, I would probably consider running a full marathon some day. But for me, the ability to run a 26.2 mile race isn't something that I feel I need to do. If I can break 2:00 for 13.1 miles, that would mean more to me. An accomplishment like that would keep me excited, long past Tuesday.