The day after

Just to give you an idea of the conditions out there yesterday (second temp is "feels like"):

9:00 AM	Cloudy 47°F	41°F	30°F	52%	10.0 miles	From S 13mph
10:00 AM	Cloudy 48°F	43°F	32°F	54%	10.0 miles	From SSE 12mph
11:00 AM	Cloudy 50°F	50°F	37°F	62%	10.0 miles	From S 14mph
12:00 PM	Cloudy 51°F	51°F	38°F	61%	10.0 miles	From S 15mph
1:00 PM	Light Rain 48°F	43°F	44°F	86%	2.5 miles	From SSE 10mph

Like I said yesterday, for most of the run, the cloudy and mid-40s was actually just about right. And I would say the rain started, for me at least, at about 12:05! I did end up putting my long-sleeved shirt back on at the end, because you could definitely feel the temps drop right in there, even before the rain started. But it wasn't too bad, and the aftermath isn't bad at all.

I had stopped by the office right after the race, to check in on the weekend testers that were there, and at least pretend to care about the quarterly updates/fixes that went in yesterday. While there I'd changed into dry clothes and fresh socks -- note to self: Never underestimate the power of dry socks!! By the time I got to MIL's, I wasn't as stinky as usual, and I'd washed most of the salt off my face, so I wasn't as offensive as I've been in the past -- being in the rain the last hour helped with that too, I'm sure. I met up very quickly with Hub and the Elder Child before they left for the Cowboys' Massacre/Saints game, and DPDino Boy was quite happily watching SpongeBob there on the big screen at Grandma's, so I propped my feet up and snoozed for a while before we headed back home. The first few steps off the couch were touch-and-go, with a bit of a wobble and a slightly loopy head as the blood rushed either to my head or away from it, I can't be sure. But after a momentary (2 seconds) wave of uneasiness, i was good to go. Nothing at all like what happened waiting for the train with Rebecca and Christy at MCM last year.

I got home and started a hot tub -- by then, I'd lost all interest in an ice bath, and decided to go for the bubbles and jets instead. Of course, even though I'd body-glided, I was still surprised by a few spots of chafing I wasn't expecting as I descended into the tub. The worst was around the back of my waist, where my belt pack rubbed against me the whole way. It's actually a pretty raw set of scrapes, about a quarter-inch wide and three inches long on either side of my backbone. The good news is it's above my waistline, since the double-barreled belt pack is wider than the single one, so it wont' bother my real clothes. I did have Hub put some ointment and a gauze pad on it before bed.

My feet were in remarkably good shape, considering that in addition to the usual swelling and sweating, I had also stepped in puddles for the last 3 miles. I've got a bit of a sore spot on the edge of my right foot, right above a callus/blood blister that's been there for a while now. It hurt last night some, but today it's OK. Just doesn't look pretty, is all. But my feet have been beyond pretty for some time now, so no worries. The left foot got away scot-free.

My hydration was good throughout the race. I drank both 20 oz bottles of half-strength Gatorade, plus extra water at about 8 of the aid stations. I kept pounding water after I left the course, so I'm not feeling any ill effects today for it, nor did I have any dehydration yesterday afternoon. My fingers didn't swell at all, and I was never sloshy. I'm making sure to keep an eye on it today, too.

My fuel for the day, pre-, during, and post-race included:
PRE:

• 1 bowl of oatmeal
• 1/4 trial size Clif bar -- banana nut bread -- blech!

DURING:

• 1.5 packs of Clif Bloks, starting at mile 8 and taking 1 every two miles
• three small cookies along the course -- most I took a bite or two and tossed the rest
• handful of pretzels somewhere in there
• 2-3 orange slices along the course

POST:

• 1 banana
• 3-4 bites of a frozen fruit smoothie - I'd have had more but it had mango -- blech!
• 1 pack of PB crackers from the machine at the office after I changed clothes
• 1 small orange at MIL's
• a small plate of rice, beef-broccoli and orange chicken
• fortune cookie and half-cup of chex mix

I was pretty ravenous right before I went to bed, which is why I had the chex mix then. Today I had a cinnamon roll for breakfast, and I'll have the rest of the Chinese for lunch. Tomorrow is the nutritionist consult, so I'll have to see what she says about here on out. I do know that I'm taking my staff to lunch on Wednesday for our holiday celebration, and I am SO having cheesecake then. A guy leapfrogging me for about the last three miles said he was thinking about the cheeseburger he was going to have -- I told him I'm thinking about the cheesecake I get to have!

I fell asleep on the couch last night -- too hyped up to sleep at my normal time, as is usual. When I woke up about 3:30, I was very sore when I tried to go to my bedroom. But after a few steps, I worked out the kinks and it's not bad at all. I'm thinking in a minute I'll head out for a leisurely walk around the block, or maybe head to the mall (!). It shouldn't be crowded there right now, and the walking will do me good to fend off any lingering soreness. For the rest of the day, I have to bring the boxes down from the closet so we can do the tree today, and I also have to make an appointment with Elder Child's podiatrist again. He continues to have serious issues with his ankles. Beyond that, it's me, the couch, and the new Dish hook-up!

Oh, and before I forget, this: