Peacocks in Palos Verdes

Last week was a 14 mile run---yipee!--in Palos Verdes. Officially the farthest I have ever run. In my life. Ever.

The course was challenging, but beautiful. Rolling hills and an ocean view gave me something nice to focus on while running. The start was extremely intimidating because we began on a steep uphill climb for about 2-3 miles but I was feeling good and taking it easy. No reason to rush when you still have 13 miles ahead of you, right?

One more note about the course: it was very fragrant. Or I have a super sense of smell. There must have been chamomile growing along the route, and anise, which made for a great combo of mellow licorice in the air throughout most of my run.

I did encounter a few problems, though. I felt great for the first 9 miles and had absolutely no pain in my knees. Then, out of nowhere it was like the joints in my knees no longer worked correctly. I felt a pain in the center of my kneecaps and noticed that walking made it worse, not better, so I skipped the walk portion of my intervals for those last few miles, opting for a slow jog (or shuffle) instead. While running uphill the pain would subside, and after the run my joints were very stiff.

Another problem was recovery time. I felt fine immediately afterward, but once I got home I was demolished. I couldn't do much but lay in bed with my legs up and my feet and toes were really swollen and uncomfortable feeling. As I continue to run longer distances I'll need to experiment with ways to make my body functional after a hard workout, like ice and ice baths, different kinds of foods after a run, different ways to rest.

All in all, I'm extremely proud of myself for finishing a very challenging run and creating a new personal distance record.