Really. Somebody Tell Me. Who *is* This Woman Doing All This Running?

Because it is certainly not the woman I used to be.

I made it. Ten miles. I can't believe it.

What I can't believe even more is that I finished in 2 hours and 5 minutes. That's an average of a 12:30 mile. Almost 5 mph.

I expected to be writing a humorous blog entry about how horrible and grueling the run was; but it turns out, if you train consistently and pace yourself, you actually start to become more fit, and can do more each time. Who knew?

I felt so great during the run. I had adrenaline pumping through my body like crazy, and I felt so strong and awesome. My coach, who was having some hamstring problems, ran with me for most of the second half, but he ended up having to walk at about mile 8 because his leg was getting too tight. He was very impressed with the pace I was keeping, considering at the beginning I was worried about even finishing! When I finished and saw my time, I was so pumped. I felt like Superwoman.

Then I got home and felt like I'd been hit by a truck. No; a jet. Once that adrenaline wears off, the fatigue sets in FAST.

The trainers recommend an ice bath for your legs when you start running in the double-digit mileage. I was prepared for this to be one of the most horrible experiences of my life. It is basically this: you run a tub of lukewarm water, enough to cover your legs while sitting, bundle your upper body up so you don't lower your entire body temp, sit in it, and dump two bags of ice in the tub. You sit in this for ten minutes and it is supposed to decrease inflammation in your muscles and joints. Then you take a warm shower and the blood vessels open up and the circulation in your legs is supposed to speed up the healing process.

The ice bath was not nearly as bad as I expected. It was actually kind of nice, because my leg muscles were on fire and very inflamed. I bundled up in my warm pink New York hoodie sweatshirt, brewed a cup of hot coffee, and settled in for the soak. It was COLD, and it wasn't really pleasant, but it did make my legs feel better, so it was totally worth it. I'm glad I did it.

All in all, a successful day, and a great run.