Alexis Senge JohnsonSunday was another glorious day of weather perfectly setting me up for a successful run. To be honest, it was almost a tad bit on the cold side for my personal preference when running but I’ll take that over a sweltering Florida day anytime! In theory I thought the seven mile run the previous weekend would be a good indication as to how my body might handle the Lake Nona half marathon I was running on Sunday. I learned that there’s a massive difference in those additional six miles.
Upon finishing the seven mile race I was able to go to breakfast, walk around a farmer’s market downtown, enjoy pie at a local bakery (because why the heck not after running for over an hour earlier in the day) and go plunder around some antique shops. It wasn’t until noon that I hit a wall and remembered that I’m not invincible. However, after finishing the half marathon on Sunday I was lucky that I could walk all the way to the car. I managed to make it home and eat breakfast before falling asleep, but only to wake up for lunch before falling asleep again. I accomplished 13.1 miles before 9:00 AM and yet ended up wasting the rest of the day sleeping.
I’m proud of myself for making it through another half marathon, but even more proud that I did it without having to have someone else support my weight through the last several miles like my first half marathon. The kineseo tape on my knees has made a world of difference compared to the two knee braces I was using when I ran the last half marathon that seemed pretty much useless after my knee gave out. The last five miles was still a struggle with the pain escalating in my right knee, but I made it much farther than I did with the braces before that kicked in so I’ll call that a win in my book. Additionally, the pain subsides faster after the race then it used to before I started using the kineseo tape. That’s an added bonus since it means I bounce back in two days instead of a week or so.
What you can’t see in this picture is that, despite taping my toes like I was ready for a war on the dance floor, my feet ended up a bloody and blistered mess again. I haven’t quite mastered how to make it through that many miles without my feet looking like I just danced a three hour ballet in my pointe shoes again. You would think after 20 years in that world that my strategic taping skills for my toes would have been enough to get me through, but I guess I’ve lost my touch. Looks like my dancer feet are back until I make it through the last race this coming Saturday and can give them a rest for a bit. I’m gave myself one more day to recover, but was in the studio by Tuesday night enjoying a ballet class. After all, if my feet are already a mess then why the heck not!
