Tentative 16

After once again having a horrible experience with my pesky left leg on last weekend's 9 mile run, let's just say that I was feeling a certain sense of trepidation on this weekend's planned 16-er. Fearful of being stranded 8 miles out along Benton Crossing Road, I planned to run 4 miles out and back, then perhaps the same again or an out and back on 395 to make the distance, while not getting too far from my car.

It ended up being six miles out and back, stopping to stretch every couple of miles, then 1.5 miles out and back on 395 feeling a little ridiculous as a lot of traffic passed me by, then another half mile out and back on BCR, feeling ridiculous in case someone saw me, saw me turn around at a half mile and wondered why I was a) looking so tired and b) only running a mile.

Praise the Lord, all was well with my leg (was it the stretching, the prescription anti-inflammatory drugs, the roller-ing???) Who can say, but it worked, and I ran the 16 miles at just over 9 minutes/mile, and actually felt less than dead at the end.

Then tonight a 5-miles on the dirt roads at Shady Rest (Fun!) and an evening of TV and compression socks, which handily arrived today from Zappos. I'm feeling hopeful about the prospect of completing the SF Marathon, but shall have to see how next weekend (18 miles, hopefully) goes.