1/2 marathon

Give or take a few tenths of a mile, I have now run a half marathon in my training. It was actually 13 miles, and I held about 8 minutes per mile, so I was really happy about that. It almost didn't come to pass, though.

I originally was planning on running in the morning, and it had rained overnight so I was prepared for mildly damp conditions. However, when I made it to the lakefront (about a mile from our pad), it started raining. And then it started pouring. And five minutes later, I could have been running through a waterfall or a stream and it would have been of equal difficulty. At first I thought I would just power through--what's a little wetness when you're running 13 miles? But I quickly realized that was stupid when my socks started holding about 5 pounds of water a piece. And then I remembered the potential for blistering. And I turned around to go home, covering 4 miles in the process. (Look ma! No blisters!)

Later in the day it got super nice, so once the sun had gone down a bit (I have sensitive skin and a family history of skin cancer, so I try not to tempt fate), I gave my 13 miles another shot. It actually went really well (see initial comments above), but when I finished, my body told me it was not happy with me. Running 17 miles in one day for a body that had previously built up to 11 miles is kinda a big jump. And my digestive tract revolted in protest.

I had the runs for the rest of the day, and then into the next.
(Again, sorry for the images in this one, but at this point I imagine there isn't much that I haven't candidly spoken about when it comes to my gut).

I have never eaten so much Pepto-Bismol (or Bis-Mate, because we buy Jewel brand) in my life.

Anyhow, I was trying to figure out what the deal was: did I induce a flare? Was my condition secondary to running too hard and maybe getting a little dehydrated? I wasn't sure if my symptoms were from my Crohn's or because I was stupid.

But I took it easy for a couple of days, and that helped a bunch, and I feel good about where my training is currently at. This morning I ran 12 miles, and again it went very well. So far, so good with my body's response.

But I think I learned an important lesson (which incidentally, I have learned numerous times in the past and then have promptly disregarded): don't push yourself too hard or too fast.

Otherwise, your body will make you pay.

:)