16 miles was the end of me

I am quite excited to run 16 miles. I think I can do it with no problem.

4, 5, 4, 5 Monday through Thursday. I said I wouldn't modify it, but I had to. I was working for a friend at the Erie County Fair on Thursday. It was so humid when I got out, I thought I might dies, so I said I would run 5 on Friday morning. And I did.

Bad, bad idea.

Because I run so much more slowly than others, I try to get to the Amherst Bike Path earlier so the coaches and trainers don't have to spend their Saturday morning waiting for my slow ass to finish running. I am a considerate runner, I guess.

Why I like the Amherst Bike Path at that hour:

• Turkeys feed in one of the fields. This particular Saturday there were turkeys right next to the deer.
• Deer are all over. Deer are grazing and it is peaceful and beautiful and serene.
• Blue herons abound in the creek.
• Slugs and other crawlies as well as goose poop are all over the path (I don't really like this part). It keeps the run interesting.

By about 7:30, the path is getting busier and the animals have gone. Slugs, crawlies and poop remain. All seem to get stomped and squished, not by me.

It started out as a cool morning. Then I noticed that I was sweating enough to fill a small rain barrel. WTF? It had gotten humid. I was not ready for humid! But what can you do?

I was doing well. Running slowly. Drinking Gatorade and water. Listening to my IPod which is the best thing in the world. Mile 12 my foot started to hurt. I knew exactly what it was, thank God. That damn extra bone. I had to walk mile 13 to the coaches and hitch a ride home the other three miles. I was disappointed but knew if I continued, I would risk a worse injury and might jeopardize my marathon. I am not willing to do that.

I told my sister I was upset with myself for only running 12 and walking one. I told her I felt like a failure. She told me I was a moron. That made me feel better, oddly enough.

I limped for the rest of the day and iced the hell out of the foot. Sunday came and I am typing this and able to walk. I am hoping that I can run tomorrow before working at the fair.

My husband reminded me that I ran on Friday instead of Thursday. That might have done it. No more running the day before long runs. I think that did it.

I will do yoga this afternoon. That should help loosen my body quite a bit. It should also help me feel less like a failure and more like a moron.

That's as it should be.