If you fall off the horse...

...you must of course get back on. That is what has always been said. They never got around to saying what to do if the horse throws you off, though.

If running is the horse, the marathon certainly threw me off.

After two months off, I woke up on the morning of June 20th to participate in the first ever NSMC Cancer Run - a 5K held after the NSMC Cancer Walk. Unfortunately, I was hardly awake 15 minutes before realizing that I felt like death. I spent a considerable amount of time in the bathroom, then a considerable amount of time in the kitchen, and eventually, my stomach was quieted enough that I felt I could at least soldier through it. It was Father's Day after all.

I drove down to the area in which the race was starting (and finishing), and got a pretty good parking space. It was warm, so I didn't do much more than light stretching. I felt pretty bad - probably the worst I've felt on a race day ever.

We got underway at 11am, and once we got moving, I felt a bit better. However, while my stomach felt less awful, the rust on my legs and in my lungs made its presence known. I ran an absolutely lurid 33:xx, on a particularly easy course. I know I shouldn't get down on myself considering the circumstances, but I can't help it. I feel that, if I really focused and worked at it, I could get my 5K time down into the low 20s. Time now to get back to regular running...

I finally replaced my trusty red and white Asics 2140s, the shoes which I wore during my training for and running of the Boston Marathon. They treated me well. Their replacements? Blue, white and black Asics 2150s. They were straight up blue and white when I bought them, a color scheme I wasn't really a fan of, but it was the only choice available in my width. I replaced the white laces with black ones, and now they look snazzy. Though, looking at them now, I see I need to re-lace them, because they aren't the same as my old shoes. But I digress. My only complaint, at least so far, is that the cushioning in the heel isn't as good as it was in the 2140. I hope it's just a matter of the shoe needing to adjust to my foot, but I'm worried that I'll have to invest, for the first time, in new insoles. Not something I want to have to experiment with...

Upcoming races... A 5K to benefit Salem High Track and Field on July 25th. First week of August, Heritage Days 5K and Yankee Homecoming 5K. Derby Street Mile, August 20th, Salem. Considering going to some of the Lynn Woods races, if I can coerce some people to come along. They go off every Wednesday, so I should get to a few of them...

I think that's about it for this running update. More news as it happens.