Of (Dead) Mice and (Wo)Men

Rubber ducky, you're the one...

Not only did I run the second longest run ever--16 miles!--I decided to try Kerrie's post-run bubble ice bath.  OH GOODNESS.  It's so killer at first, then after my legs went numb, it wasn't so bad.  I actually lasted a full 10 minutes.

But first, about this morning's run...

Met up with Kerrie on the Cedar River Trail for 15 miles, but a couple things were not going our way when we started:
1.  I forgot gloves, and it was COLD
2.  We were both late to our 7am meet-up
3.  Kerrie didn't have her house key
4.  We nearly started without locking our car doors
5.  I unknowingly wore two socks that should be retired from rotation...the backs of the socks were under my feet within a couple miles
6.  Did I mention it was COLD?  And I'm stupid to wear a t-shirt and capris...

Sally, Kerrie, Patty and Alma

The porta-potty at the half mile mark had its door swing open by itself.  Creepy.  There was NO wind.  Trail ghost!  Kerrie and I got into a groove and all of a sudden we were at mile 3 waving to Alma, Sally and Patty.  Wow, that was fast!  The other ladies were out for only 8, so we were going to run 4 with them and then go separate ways.  It was so nice to meet Sally and Patty today!  They are speedy!  And Patty was super brave and only wore her Running Skirt...no capris or tights underneath.

I just listened to everyone's conversations, as my head was trying to stay focused on finishing these miles.  For some reason my breathing was totally cool, but my body felt like I had aged 20 years.  I felt so stiff!  Stupid feet and ankles.  :(  The cold temperature didn't help either.  I usually get warm after 2 miles, but I still couldn't feel my hands or elbows at the halfway mark.  The sun took forever to burn through the dense fog looming, too.  Once the sun came out, it was more manageable...and I regained use of my "claw" hands.

Oo La La!

When the time came for us to separate, we stopped and took a couple pics.  Kerrie and I decided to just go another mile instead of just a half...to make an even 16.  EEK!  We ran into some cops on the side of the road looking in a ditch for something (keys?  I think?), a band of dudes walking a really excited yellow lab, some friendly runners, some not-so-friendly runners, courteous cyclists, an interestingly dressed runner dude with really wild colored running tights (think straight from the 80s), and of course the dog walker (or two).  And of course, I nearly stepped on yet another dead mouse.  This one was not frozen, but it had guts all over.  Graphic?  Yeah.  Sorry.  Poor thing.  I swear it was already dead when I saw it.

Tree hugger

Kerrie and I picked up the pace for the last mile and were seeing some sub-9 times.  We just wanted to be done!  Once finished, we had to strike model poses for the camera.

Have I ever mentioned how AWESOME butt warmer seats in cars are?  No really.  They.Are.Amazing.  However, I still couldn't feel my ass when I got home, which was fine, because I was going to attempt an ice bath.

I got all my supplies ready: Goober, Murphy cat, bubbles, ice, iPhone for a timer, towel, Goober's rubber duck, lady balls aka "courage."  The first step into the freezing water was not fun.  But I just sat down, gritted my teeth, and slowly lost feeling in my limbs.  Hurray!  I think it was working!  At least I couldn't feel my feet burning or my ankles aching.  Heck, I couldn't feel my toes.  I made it to ten minutes precisely and swiftly got dried off.  Success!  On went the Salonpas patches and compression socks, and the rest of the day was cake (a hobble-y, sore piece of cake).

Proof:

I can't feel my legs!*

Murphy was my lifeguard and monitored my progress

Goober babbled and talked shop with me to pass time

*What movie is this quote from?