Superbowl Bar Crawl/Run. 14 miles.

Sorry to all of my readers for the missing entry from last weekend. Following some excrutiating shin pain, I took on full recovery mode. Rest, ice, low-impact cross training, lather, rinse, repeat…but I’m back and ready to attack.

Stats

• 14 miles!
• Some length of time that is really not important. I finished.
• Tune of Choice: Celtics vs. Magic, WEEI
• # of pee stops: 4
• Fun Count 1-10: 11
• Pain count 1-10: meh. no need to be a Debbie downer.
• Win count: INFINITE number o’ wins.

The plan:

After spending almost two weeks on injured reserve, I was thrilled to hit this long run (lie). My body was feeling great (lie) and I was excited about all of the giant snowbanks and knee-deep puddles (lie and lie).

Ok, so let’s be frank. I wasn’t looking forward to this. The fear of injury was more debilitating to me than the pain itself. I knew I’d need some way to get through this run in a motivating, fun and distracting way; thus, the “Superbowl Bar Crawl/Run” came to fruition.

I mapped a route that would take me through some of my favorite local bars/spots. In doing so, not only would I be taking pee breaks in familiar facilities, but it was Superbowl Sunday, so I knew there would be many a familiar face out and about to cheer me on.

First Stop: Mike’s Place. Mile 3.

This photo is pre-pee. I don’t urinate with the seat up, though I was thankful for a spotless facility.

 

Second Stop: Tony’s Pub. Mile 6.

Lots of familiar faces made for a motivating pee stop. Cozy AND clean… the mother of all baños.

 

Third Stop: Lazy Dog Sports Bar. Mile 8.5.

Old friends, a giant glass of H2O and some Celtics viewing. I didn’t even want to pee out of fear I’d miss out on all of the fun!

 

Last Stop: Lisa, Charles, Austin and Marcus’ House. Mile 11.

I love technology.

My text: “Lisa! I’ll be running by your house within the hour. Are you home? Can I stop by for a pee?”
Lisa’s text reply: “I’ll be home all afternoon. Come on by!”

And with that, I’d secured my final pee stop. I’d been running for 2-plus hours by the time I knocked on their front door… and my stench, I am sure, was nothing short of revolting, yet it didn’t stop Lisa from offering me a fresh pair of socks (mine were drenched) and a glass of cranberry juice.

Naturally, being the accommodating Italian that she is, she offered to have me for dinner; but with 3 more miles looming and the sun setting quickly, I knew my time was running out.

Problem solved! Lisa whipped out her elliptical machine (it really was too unsafe for me to run home under darkening skies with no clear sidewalks) and I finished my final 3 miles on high resistance. It might have been a blessing in disguise to my worn shins!

So, with a little creativity, I was able to finish in high spirits. The positive experience helped drive away my fears for future long runs. Next week, I have 16 miles with the team. This time, I am actually looking forward to it!