So, how am I feeling?

I am two days post marathon and I can say, honestly, that I feel perfectly fine. Only the slightest twinges in my ankle (which may be as much due to time on the elliptical this morning as anything else), and none of the quad soreness and stiffness that I experienced for days after the Defiance trail run. I am sure that this is mostly due to slow pace I ran at (although my legs felt tired enough when I was running!), as well as the lack of any hills to stress my quads.

Of course, I haven't run yet, and I am keeping to my plan of waiting at least until Wednesday to run, no matter how "recovered" I may feel. I am sure that my lack of recovery time between hard runs--Portland, Defiance, then the marathon right after--contributed in part to my lethargic pace. There is a reason for some tapering before marathons, or at least before goal marathons!

Right after I finished on Saturday I felt just about as wrecked as I have after any other marathon. Well, right after CIM last December I felt worse, for a few minutes till I got my equilibrium back, but after that the general post-race body soreness has been similar in both Newport and this one. And Defiance, for that matter.

That achiness and impairment of walking skills lasted all afternoon, and I was pretty sore all night as well. I try not to take Advil too much, saving it for the most difficult of pain, but I did take two before I left Lake Sammamish, two more at bedtime, and two in the middle of the night. (All of these doses are 4-6 hours, or more, apart.)

Yesterday I was not achy, and even though I laid around and rested all day, that was more a function of the weather and lack of other plans than pure need to rest. Maybe I was a little more tired by evening than you would expect on a lazy day, but I think that lack of activity breeds drowsiness as well.

Last night I took a warm Epsom salt bath, and I hope I make myself do it again tonight and tomorrow. I can be really lazy about making the effort to take a bath. Especially when I feel okay and don't really need it.

I also don't feel tired this evening the way I did for several evenings last week. I mean I am usually tired in some way after a day of work, but Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of last week I was a limp rag by the evening (and the work days had not been particularly hectic or stressful). (Of course I still don't feel like doing anything after work, hence me sitting at the computer rather than accomplishing something useful!)

While I have absolutely no desire ever to become a Marathon Maniac, I can understand how a person could run marathons in close succession if he or she really wanted to. I think I still prefer quality over quantity, however. My challenge now is to find my quality running again.