I went out this AM around 6:20 with thoughts of running my 4.7 mile loop. I was rolling along nicely at about 14 minutes, and stepped into the grass to avoid some low hanging branches when, all of a sudden I nearly went down. I stepped on a piece of wood and turned my ankle -- yes the ankle I hurt in November 07. It hurt and I was limping. I stopped to rub it, walked some more, rubbed some more and then ran home. I popped some ibuprofen, iced with a bag of frozen of onions and then got ready for work. I don't think that there's any ligament damage, it feels more like a bone bruise. I'm sort of bummed out but I don't think that it's that big of a deal, it's just annoying and a bit sore. I'll see if I can go out tomorrow, which I think I should be able to do unless it swells today, and then run my July 4 Road Race.
Anyway, I never posted my Boston Chase Corporate Challenge story, so here it is. It was hot and humid and crowded. Twelve thousand runners lined up to run a 3 mile course. I ran the first two miles socially with a couple of friends. We covered the first two in a glacial 19:19. At that point I glanced back at them and then dropped the hammer. I covered the last mile in 7:48, bobbing and weaving a bit around the flagging office workers of Boston. Not exactly and earth shattering time, but with that field, I anticipated no PR.
Several observations about this event: it's crazy to run wild in the first mile, it's unbelievably crowded. The course was shortened this year to 3 miles because of construction in Kenmore Sq. I saw a girl blow out her ankle on Comm Ave and drag herself to the sideline, telling a friend, "I'm done." It was cool to run down Comm Ave. It's amazing how hard some folks were breathing in the last mile -- I think many folks underestimate the difficulty of running 3 miles. I've now run this race in NYC and Boston, nearly 5 years apart. I saw a girl bent over at the finish with a puddle of dark stuff at her feet, splattered onto her shoes and calves. I thought it was really dark vomit until she looked up with blood gushing out of her nose and said to the race medical staff "Towel!" She must have gotten elbowed near the finish. It's kind of strange to see your colleagues in their running clothes.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
!@#$%^&*
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3 comments:
Agreed. The Corporate Challenge is a pretty cool event....people like you who love the sport, sharing it with those who have an athlete inside waiting to get out. It's probably the most unique running event out there.
Fidelity Phil, thanks for swinging by our blog.
The CCC is fun, and it's great to be a part of something that big. I like what you say about sharing the experience -- that's what running is all about a communal experience. It doesn't matter if you're fast or slow, we all ran that course on the same day and though we all don't know one another we had a common experience.
I hope that you swing by and check us out again. -- Agricola
I love the pace of this post. The way you wrote it captured the ducking and weaving feel that you describe. Nice.
Bummed to hear about the ankle. Don't be shy about checking out some PT. Mrs. VTR sprained hers last year (the last of probably 6 sprains over 10 years) and has had great results with PT. After a few sprains, some of the ligaments/tendons stretch, making you more susceptible to future sprains or rolls. Getting on a program to strengthen while rehabing could be the right call. Especially since you have an active summer planned on the roads.
Good luck!
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