Chafety First

Turns out, steak, chips, Diet Coke and marshmallow-bunny-cupcakes are not ideal long-run fuel.

Who would have thunk it?

Now, give me a little credit – I didn’t pack the above in my fuel-belt last Sunday (bitter experience has taught me that steak sauce makes my spandex sticky), but last week I did swap my usual Saturday night pasta supper for all the edible pleasures that accompany a one-year old’s birthday party. And yes, it was sooo good going down, but oh, how I suffered!

Okay, so had it just been the food I might have made it okay, but Sunday morning was a balmy 27 degrees, and with humidex, it felt hotter than Fabio (pre-seagull). I had been suffering from a cold so couldn’t breathe properly and what’s more, Dr. StEVIL (that’s what our running group leader likes to go by now – I understand he’s in the midst of a cloning experiment), planned a fun little 28K run.  Yes folks, I am training for a half, which, for the English majors out there, is somewhat shorter.

Overcoming my nerves and excuses, I headed off into the southern Ontario sauna with my running mates.  It was steamy, but there were no massages or clean white towels. There was however, plenty of rubbing.  In fact, by the end of the run, my Bodyglide had incinerated, leaving my inner thighs looking like prime rib, and feeling just as seared. What’s that? I hear you ask. Weren’t you wearing spandex shorts? Oh yes, I was…. but my sweat-laden shorts started to sag, reintroducing the naked flesh of my inner thighs to each other. It’d been awhile since they’d seen each other, and it turns out, they had missed each other…badly. I couldn’t walk for days.

On the bright side, my white shirt was so wet I became the first non-minor to feature in a Girl’s Gone Wild video.

Maybe the brutal run took its toll, or maybe the toddler party was infested, but for the past week that little cold I was suffering has matured into a full-body, snot experience.  Just the thought of strapping on my sneakers has tired me out. So I’ve only managed an easy 7K this week , and that has me worried…albeit I can’t believe it’s me that actually wrote that last sentence.  Clearly, I’ve come a long way — it doesn’t seem like long ago that 7K was a banner week. But I can’t help but feel wrong about missing a few runs.

I guess I’m hooked.

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