I had made a conscience effort to prepare for the training by drinking plenty of water, eating a healthy lunch and stretching and warming up liberally before we started. The course lived up to its billing as being tough, long and hot. The first 2 miles were just as difficult as the last 2 and I struggled the whole time.

As I sit and type this I am feeling sore from my shoulders to my toes, at least my head isn’t hurting this morning. I iced my knees for 20 minutes post run and forced myself to eat some watermelon. After a cool shower my nausea subsided a bit and I fell asleep very quickly. After 8 hours of sound sleep my ankle is hurting but my knees are not. I woke up hungry and had a hearty breakfast. At this point I am starting to question my decision to run the Parkersburg Half Marathon. I am uncertain that my physical stature permits such training activities without long-term damage to my joints and psyche. I do appreciate the positive comments and support from everyone on the course your words of encouragement make a difference.

Hopefully I will feel less sorry for myself over the next 24 hours and my mental outlook will improve. I will enjoy the day off and get back to running Wednesday afternoon.

See ya on the Road.