Recap
- Saturday = 16 miles
- Sunday = sore
- Monday = barely walking
- Tuesday = better
- Wednesday = did 2 miles
- Thursday = rest
- Friday = rest
- Saturday (yesterday) = 20 miles
Yesterday, I reached 20 miles. When I got home my knee was swollen to the size of a tennis ball but I took ibuprofen and rested with ice. There's no swelling today but my knee is still sore. I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings.
I've had knee and back problems for a long time but running this marathon has been a goal to prove to myself how far I've come.
Even with the constant pain I've learned to deal with it and fight past it. I also know how to read my body and slow down when necessary. This is part of the reason why I've never run straight without interval walking. When I first started to go further distances I could tell based on the pain when I needed to stop but learning to using intervals helped me minimize that same pain so that I could go further.
When I was training for my first Broad Street run I was also in physical therapy for my back and they helped me determine the right intervals to prevent further injury.
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| my two belts |
One thing I found worked better than expected during the 20 mile run was my belts. Yes, belts as in plural. I purchased a new belt on Amazon because I know I will not be able to use my hydration pack during the marathon because of gear restrictions. The problem is once I put the nutrition gels in the belt I didn't have any room left for my phone even though this belt was listed as one of the larger ones with water bottles. So I ended up putting the hydration belt on my back and then a regular fanny pack on the front. The fanny pack held my phone, charger, inhaler, and ID.
Having the running belt on my back actually worked out really well because it provided support to the part of my back that usually starts to hurt first. Meanwhile the water bottles on both sides balance each other out and I didn't even feel like I was wearing it. The fanny pack on the front is what I have already used previously during runs when I knew water would be available every few miles. Therefore, I was already comfortable with the fanny pack in front. For the marathon, they recommend bringing your own water bottles because even though there will be water stations there will not be as many as in previous years. This was another reason I wanted a belt that had water bottles.
The only issue I found with wearing two belts was it was harder to stop at a bathroom because I had to take the belts off to go. I think the new belt was the real issue because I couldn't shift it easily since it has rubber dots on the back to prevent slipping.
