Surf the Murph - 3 days after plus misc ramblings

Surf the Murph follow-up

It's not productive for me to go over in my mind all the "what if's" from Saturday's race, so I won't do that. On Sunday and Monday all I did for exercising was walk 15 minutes and then stretch. Not once did I feel any pain in my foot since I dropped-out after two laps of the race on Saturday.

My first run

This morning was my first run. A 6-miler. The first two miles, as I had expected, my legs were heavy and dead. The second two miles my legs were warming up, and the final two miles I could move right along at a good pace. I was very happy to get this run in and I feel great right now. The best part is that my foot pain was still gone so what happened on Saturday was a minor issue that resolved itself quickly and on its own.

50 milers in my future?

Although for a few hours after the Surf the Murph I was thinking that 50K distance was where I would draw the line for future races, I have changed my mind. I like being out on the trails so much, I would not hesitate to register for 50 milers in the future, just so I can be out on the trails all day long.

Weekly training

I will continue training during the week on the Mississippi River paths from Ft. Snelling up to Minneapolis with my road-loving friends. On weekends I'd like to do long runs on trails. The main thing is I love trails, as you can tell. The second thing is that it will help strengthen my feet which is one of my weaknesses.

Stretching

Last night I purchased a foam roller and a wobble board. My wife and one of my girls are also having some foot problems right now and the wobble board will be good for us all. I never stretch after races so now, with a foam roller, I can do that too.

Clothing

Since I will go back and read this sometime in the future, I want to note something about running clothes. Normally, I love running in cool weather and I'll wear as little as possible. Saturday I had XC ski pants and a long sleeved shirt with a short sleeved shirt on top. Of course I was completely sweaty after loop 1 on Saturday. The temps were in the 40s and normally at that point I would be wearing short shorts and a sleeveless shirt but I felt if I changed into those clothes that I would freeze. I think I would have been ok dressing light if I would have had a beach towel with me to completely dry off first and get into all dry clothes.

BENEFIT RUN FOR LARRY & COLLEEN PEDERSON

What's next? No more races this year but I am looking forward to the Pederson Benefit Run at Afton State Park on November 27th. There is nothing better than raising some money for them and spending the day running with friends/new-friends in the park. I'll be there if I can.

--Mark