As I put in more and more running miles, I’m starting to feel my age.  Yesterday, was the longest run that I’ve done in 35 years.  It was a hilly 7-miles and it took me all day to recover.  I used Advil and ice to ease the aches and pains.  I was trying to simulate the 7-mile first leg that I’ll be running in next week’s Hood to Coast relay.  The only problem is that I will have less than 11 hours to recover before I do the next 5.23 miles, and then 11 more hours to rest before the last 5.32 miles.  I was feeling a bit stiff this morning, as I did the simulation of the second leg, but I’m not as spent as yesterday.  I didn’t rush immediately to the freezer for an ice pack.  In fact, my feet feel pretty good.  Maybe there’s hope!  Tomorrow, I’ll do the last leg and then possibly get one more 7+ mile run in this weekend before I taper off for race day.  It will be a big relief to get this training over with, and an even bigger relief to finish the Hood to Coast challenge.

I didn’t really sleep very well last night, worried about how I have perhaps bitten off a lot more than I can chew.  I maybe shouldn’t have been so anxious to get on this team.  Be careful what you wish!  The challenge has been good for me, though.  It added a competitive dimension to my retirement days, as I went through the preparation process.  I just thought that my many years of running every day would have put me in better shape.  Instead, I’m slow and concerned about getting through this without hurting myself.  I’ll be the oldest and slowest on our team of twelve.   I can handle the old part, but not improving on my speed has been a big disappointment, and I’ll be embarrassed with my times.  I guess the main focus at this point is just to push beyond the aches and pains, and try to be satisfied with a sense of accomplishment.

From a domestic challenge standpoint, I’ll be cooking pork chops and baked beans for dinner tonight.  It’s spa day for the dogs, so I’ll also be out and about and running some errands. This will hopefully take my mind off the woes of trying to be a track star.  Who knows, maybe I’ll start training to be a Ninja Warrior!

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