Ran a full Marathon along side Pokei Lake

Ran a full Marathon along side Pokei Lake by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

• Weather: High of 18 Celsius (64.4 Fahrenheit) Fall is here and it's wet. 
• Distance for today: 42.04kl (26.12 miles)
• Total Distance to Date: 4243.41 kl (2644.54 miles)
• Song of the Day: CBC Radio until I ran out of cell service. Then just listened to the sounds of the lake and traffic. 

I don't know how to start today. It has been a pretty difficult last couple of days. We are currently parked outside a hotel in White River Ontario (The home of Winnie the Pooh). 

You see I have been increasingly in pain. I have not had a new pair of shoes in a long time. We had some difficulty with getting new shoes. While this is not the forum to state the things that have been, well actually let's say have not been happening. I feel an explanation of the missing day is in order. 

While Ron Steele from Communicare Michigan gave Tom some shoes for me to run with when he ran with me a while ago, the shoes he so thoughtfully provided were stability shoes. These are shoes with an orthotic built in for people that pronate. While I do have minor pronation I run in neutral shoes (No way for you to have known this Ron so please don't feel bad, it was a very thoughtful thing you did for me). So as any long distance runner will tell you, "Once you find the shoe that works. Don't change it". 

Now I try new shoes all the time, the Spira's are fantastic. However they hurt my ankles. The Brooks Ron sent me where stability and they threw out my hip. So I was back to my old Brooks that have not been changed since approx the 12th of July, while I have alternated some what between the Brooks and the Spira's. They have seen better day's. 


What happens when you where old shoes is they lack any impact and they start to loose some grip. So my ankles, knees and hips start to take a beating. 


Think of driving on a pair of tires that have no grip left on them at all. Your shock are done, and you have no grip on the ground. You get the idea. 


It took way to long to long to get the shoes that were needed and the pain was getting to the point where running was just causing me so much discomfort. At one point I was alternating between the Brooks with no impact or stability, the Spira's that are fast, very impact resistant yet no stability at all, to the Brooks with the build in orthotic, that threw my knees and IT band out, all in one day. 


So yesterday when the shoes were supposed to be delivered and they were not I took the day off. I was frustrated and upset. Between Melissa and Magda however they got the issue resolved. However I would not have the shoes until the end of the day today. 


I was faced with a dilemma, take a day off and be out longer on the road costing us money and time, or run in pain and discomfort. So today I ran in discomfort. It really hurt. I will say one thing about pain. It made me run faster. I don't like pain. Not the kind of pain I have been having lately anyway. I can handle pain knowing there will be a payoff for it. Like my agility is improved, or my muscles are stronger. That is good pain. However the pain that sits deep in you and prevents you being comfortable while you try to sleep. The kind feels like someone is pushing a needle into your hips and when you run is like a punch on the hip and the knee. It starts at the ankle and just shoots up. I don't like that.


Today I just ran into the pain. I new it would hurt, I new it would end, but for over four hours I would be very uncomfortable. That was today. Very, very painful. I took one rest and it was so hard to get going that I just didn't stop again. I knew that if I stopped running I would not continue. 

I started playing games in my head to be able to continue. It was all I could do to keep myself distracted. There were several times that I almost stopped. Yet just near the last 5kl or so I saw a car pull over. 

A couple of guys were getting out of there car and crossing the street. 

 Brothers Martin and Lennard who had just got back from a hike had heard about me before they left for there hike. They wondered if they would pass me and saw the CRV and me running along. They wanted to pull over and wish me luck. It totally made the day. There are day's when I am wondering if anyone is noticing. I know they are, but still after running for so long all by myself. It feels fantastic to know that someone knows your out there. 

So now I go back to stretching and pass out. Tomorrow I have a brand new pair of shoes to run in and I am so excited.