The Silly Things We Do

I should probably correct the title to I instead of we, but I suspect I'm not the only one who makes some not so sensible decisions when it comes to running.

I'll keep this short since there's not a whole lot to report. Yesterday, I went to watch the Fortitude 10K in Fort Collins. My main job, I figured, would be to cheer on my best friend who was running with the fast people. I don't quite know how or why it happened, but next thing I knew, I was standing at the start in the very slow wave thanks to the generosity, kindness, and encouragement of a few people. Obviously, this wasn't a wise decision considering my fairly recent surgery and the fact that I am scheduled for another procedure in a few weeks, but there was this tiny part of my brain that kept repeating, "Why not?"

In an effort to stay out of the race because I figured I might be tempted, I ran on the trails the day before and did a slightly faster jog the day before that. My theory was that tired legs would prompt my brain into making a sensible decision. It didn't work. From there, I convinced myself that I would jog the race. That also didn't work because once I was running, I looked around and decided I really didn't want to see a person in a dinosaur costume beat me. From there, I eased into a tempo pace, about the max I can handle right now anyway, and did my best to move forward without hurting myself too badly or running into anyone or anything on the very crowded course.

Everything was going well enough until about the halfway point when I had some tummy issues and something didn't feel right. I experienced some lower abdomen pains that I attributed to the surgery and considered stopping but convinced myself that dropping out midway through the race would be hugely disappointing. Plus, I had to get to the finish area one way or another, so I kept going, slowing here and there to better access the discomfort.

I finished strong, but when I stopped, I really didn't feel right. A lady asked if I was OK after I bent over and put my hands on my knees, a gesture someone going my speed shouldn't need to do. I told her I was but I felt a bit woozy. I'll spare anyone reading the gory details, but I guess you could say shit happens, only this was more of a small, bloody deposit. I'm sure it's related to the surgery, maybe not directly but there's a connection. Well, that wasn't pleasant. Fortunately, there was a bathroom with running water where I got myself cleaned up. I had a few rough moments getting myself back to the car, but everything sorted itself out by that evening and I should be fine. With my lopsided gait, I've got some uneven soreness and tightness that's rather concerning, but a few rest and easy days should help.

I'm not listed in the results, but that's probably a good thing. My time was embarrassingly slow, though I was glad it was under 50 minutes on such a fast course. Mostly, I was glad to spend much of the day with someone I care about, even though a lot of the time I wasn't very good company. I fell asleep on the way to the race and was too beat after to offer much in terms of conversation. Still, it was good to get out and away from routine. Additionally, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone in pretty much every way yesterday, and that has to be good for my mental health.