Just call me Horseshack...

Because I was a total Sweat Hog today. It was very warm outside.

ORN: I ran five kilometers in 31:27. I was pretty surprised at my time, not that it is spectacular or anything. I felt slower. I expected the heat and my ridiculously long run on Saturday to hold me back.

And what was up with that run on Saturday? It was nuts. I made an agreement with myself to run with the Ken Combs group. I woke up on time Saturday morning feeling pretty good about life, the universe, and everything. I threw on some duds, choked down a Gatorade and a Clif Bar, and drove to the store.

They divide up into two groups -- short and long. The short group was supposed to do nine miles; the long group, 11. I figured I would run as far as I could and make my decisions on the road. I had already kept my commitment to myself by showing up. [For this, I treated myself to some new running shorts. They were AWESOME, but by the end of the run, my nut sack felt it'd been used as a punching bag. TMI?] There were a couple points on the route at which I could decide to go farther or turn back. I could have run a 10K, 7.5 miles, 9 miles, or the full 11 miles depending on how I felt.

I have no doubt that if I ran alone, I would never have run more than 9. As luck would have it, I ended up running with two very nice women who just happened to run at my pace. I followed them for the first five or six miles. At one point, somebody broke the ice, and we discussed the map I was carrying around. [I get lost in Cherokee Park like it was a labyrinth.] After that, we chatted occasionally and ran together the rest of the way. They ran 11, so I ran 11. I couldn't believe it.

To be totally honest, we did walk some parts. Like after mile six or so, I started walking up some of the less pleasant hills. Then after mile 8 or so, it was run-walk-run-walk every quarter or half mile.

Afterward, I immersed my legs in the bathtub in water as cold as I could tolerate. That felt good, but for an hour or two, my legs felt like rubber bands made of cramps. After some rest and a couple Tylenol, I was right as rain. I felt good enough, actually, to go help some friends move. By the end of the day, I was nearly comatose.