Training day: Long run no. 2*

*Spoiler alert: it did not go well and gross things ahead*

To cut right to the chase: I bit it. Hard core and within the first 20 minutes of my run. Damn it and ew.



It was a nice start. I was out on the road early, so it was quiet on the Cambridge side of the Charles River. My This American Life (Ep: #102, Roadtrip!) was a distracting delight and the river sparkled ahead, beckoning me on.

Suddenly, the gravel path reach up and grabbed hold of my pretty new sneaker and threw me forward so that I was sailing through the air with the greatest of unease. Mid flight I heard, through my earphone, an "Ooooooo" from a nearby pedestrian. And then I skidded to an elegant stop with the palms of my hands, obviously testing out a handstand-to-backspring landing, which failed miserably.

From my dirt landing strip I brushed at the sand and grit on my legs and peered at the now-bloody-palms, not quite sure what to do. A kind man helped me up and told me to take a breather but I assured him I just needed to wash myself off, as I smeared my hands across my McDonald's-yellow tank top.

A little rattled, yes. But I was immediately annoyed that this interference had to come so early in the trip and that I had to sacrifice a precious quarter of water. So I jogged on, a little wobbly and with hands throbbing.

It was really only at home when my heart rate slowed and, faced with the prospect of a hot shower, that I realized how bad my hands were. But, being a wait-and-see-how-it-goes kind of gal I gingerly washed the dirt from my body, poured shampoo on my head, swabbed at cuts with disinfectant and called it a day. We were in a rush, on to the beach and I figured an afternoon in the ocean water would cure all.

Beach trip, however, involved a new fabulous friend who is, unfortunately, a nurse who tsk-tsked at my unclean wounds and told me I had to scrub to clean them out. And, true to her word, the salt water did little to get the dirt and stones out of my hand so back at home, after a few beers and an hour soak in bubbly water, a baby shot of whiskey and an old Friends episode as a distraction, I (shiver) scrubbed (pawed) to meager success.

Gross.

I'm glad I could share that.

And so, my second attempt at a long run gets a less-than stellar rating. Pros: cold beverages, laugh-out-loud funny TAL episode. Cons: repeat route, bloody hands. Thus:

Mileage: 8.6
Approx. time: 1:37
Overall rating: 6.2

And now for some antibacterial remedy for the image I have just painted:




xoL