Day 4,172—Almost a 50K—

 

  My watch was suggesting that I needed time to recover, so I debated sleeping in. However, I got up around 5:30 to feed the cats. I decided that if I could go out before sunrise, it would be worth it to stay awake. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure where I wanted to run, but when I started, the choice was made for me because I couldn’t see the sunrise from everywhere.

        I ran to the train tracks and got chiggers on my socks and legs. I ran on the train tracks for a moment and got back on the road and headed in the opposite direction towards Webster. From there, I ran towards Sherwood Dr. and took that to Lockwood. There was a decent number of people out, and I knew I was taking a slightly longer way than normal. I didn’t think I would end up almost having to do 30 miles to complete my loop. I deviated from my established marathon loop to run to QT to get something to drink. It added a few miles, but it was worth it. I ran down to Manchester and was surprised to see so many new shops. I saw an acupuncture place and an escape room. I should consider trying acupuncture again.

        As I arrived at Brentwood Park, there was a guy cleaning the bathroom while playing loud religious-sounding music. I looped back around and ran back towards Webster, which I took to the Riverway Path, which I took to Grant’s Trail. By the time I got there, I had already ran 18 miles. I knew I was going to be over a marathon, no matter how I went home, if I was going to follow the path, but it was nice to still feel good and be okay with doing more. I felt bad I was going to be home later than I planned, but it was good to get the miles in. Even though my watch wanted me to take a break, it always wants me to take a break! How would I ever get any training done if I were listening to training advice from my watch! I don’t push myself to injury. It is important to recognize when you need to rest, but I wasn’t having any issues like that.

        I was listening to a book while I was running that talked about the origins of the word “heretic,” which originally meant in Greek “able to choose.” The meaning was changed over time as religious groups used it as a pejorative.