WildBull

easy miles.   Calf is still a problem!  Not happy! 

Not happy, But i am goingto be positive.  Runners are generally very happy people who enjoy what life gives them.   I will take what ever i can get at this point.  

Well tonight I got my first massage ever. Steve has been raving about this person for over a year now and I decided to give it a try. After all Steve in the gooroo on massage and he states that it made him the man he is today. (Bald middle age man with a slight speech impediment!) The massage guy brings it to your door. You call and he will travel! He shows up! 6 ft guy with bicep’s bigger then my waist! (I am a dead man) He tells me to lie down on the table and relax. (Let the pain begin) I immediately go back to the war days and tell him only my name rank and serial number! This is going to be the most painful hour I have had in long time. It feels like he is scrapping down my legs with a roller. Scrapping away the muscles off the bones. After the legs he goes for the back and neck. I feel like a helpless child being controlled by a stranger! It felt like a truck running over me that stops right on top. I gasp for air! And wonder if I will ever run another marathon! The man smiles as I hold back the tears and cringe at every pressure point. He told me I was a mess! I am now! Holy cow! Bring in the wheel chair! And the oxygen machine and the painkillers.

Here is my race report for the St. George   Marathon.    It was a mild cold day at the start of the race.  People were running all over the place trying to stay warm.  Music was blasting and I was stoked just to be a part of it.   I stayed with Dustin at his cabin in Pine valley the night before the great Race.   I picked up Steve from the Expo and drove up around 10 pm.      As usual we were pretty much up and down all night.  We got up at 6 am and drove over to the marathon!    The gun sounded and off we went.  Mile one I was having a sharp pain coming from my lower back.   I tried to stretch it out. I was maintaining a 6:40 pace as planned.  I stopped at the first aid station and had a guy give me a bear hug to see if he could pop it.   I stopped at several aid stations and had them try to pop my back but each time with no success.  I tried sports cream.  My left leg was going numb.  My form and stride was completely out of wack.   I managaged to hold a 6:50 pace the first half but after that my pace and time quickly deterated.  My calf’s felt like exploding and I knew at this point my goal of under 3 hours was dashed.    I observed the ambulance go bye several times and thought about having a DNF on my record.  I decided that I was going to finish. I was not going to let this win.   I run many races each year and i realize   I  will have a bad race once in awhile.  This was one of those.  Finished around 3:30.  Just behind grandpa and walker brigade!  

Thinking back J this may be the cause of my problem at this marathon.

1. I hurt my calf two weeks before Marathon.   Tapered more then I should have. To recover from injury.  Body did not respond well to running again? 
2. I had a full body massage (Deep Tissue) Weds first massage I have ever had. 
3. It was colder then normal. I was not use to the cold! 
4. Back was simply out and it made the difference.

I would like to say I loved this experience. But it was the most painful Marathon I have ever Ran thus far. #4.     I am looking forward to another race at another date.