Ran My Body Into The Ground
I am physically tired. Very tried. I am so sore, I couldn't sleep comfortably. I've been trying to get back into shape for spring soccer; I've been running at least five days a week. Yesterday, I ran the entire day. I mean seriously, what was I thinking? In the morning, I ran in the 30th Annual Shamrock Run Portland. In the afternoon, I attended a two and a half hour soccer practice. If this type of schedule doesn't get me ready for 90 minutes, I don't know what will.
I was sad to miss the Baltimore St. Patrick's Day Shamrock 5k. I was extremely delighted to find the Shamrock Run Portland. Last year's Shamrock 5k was my first organized running event. It was a ton of fun; Thomas organized a group called the Lucky Bastards. For this year, he even hooked us up with the 2008 Lucky Bastards T-Shirts. We proudly wore the T-Shirts in Portland.
A friend of Teresa's from teaching, Crystal, invited us to run with her and her friends. We kindly accepted. Early on Sunday morning, we rode Trimet down to the Southwest. The entire waterfront was abuzz with people. 60,000 people had signed up for the event. We had elected to participate in the 8k. Its a big longer than we normally run, but you have to push yourself once and awhile.
As we walked from the bus stop, we noticed a rowdy bunch of runners.
Their running gear ranged from tight spandex to cutoff jean shorts.
Most of the guys wore mullets. They covered themselves in body paint.
Almost everyone had a logo drawn on some part of their body: S.E. Shamrockers.
S.E. stands for Southeast. At any given moment, they were blasting hard rock from a portable boombox. It was an awesome
sight to see.
We met Crystal and the rest of the group in the park. How would we do anything without cellphones? Tanya was kind enough to hold our stuff while we completed the race. Our group quickly lined up at the start. The first wave of the 8k was schedule for 8:55am.
We started with a nice pace, and kept it the entire run. Everyone agreed, the social aspect of the run is so enjoyable. No one likes to get out on the street after work. The Shamrockers definitely helped. At one point, a dude was stopped on the sidewalk and yelled to the crowd, "ACDC or Metallica?" The overwhelming response was for Metallica. "Alright, I gotta change the tape, YEAAA!!!!" Then he sprinted off. Halfway through the race, some non-running Shamrockers handed out green beer instead of water. It was crazy.
We finished up the race in about an hour. We kept pretty much an even pace, and I didn't feel completely knocked out. Our group decided to skip the free and overcrowded beer garden for Voodoo Doughnut. You can't go wrong with that idea. I choose a chocolate glazed with peanut butter and crushed Oreo cookie.
It was a very enjoyable morning. I hope we hangout with Crystal and her group sometime soon. Everyone was down to earth and fun loving. We had some great conversation and laughs throughout the entire run.
The day wasn't quite finished. Later in the afternoon, I attended soccer practice. I joined a Men's team that plays in the Portland area. Our first game isn't until April, but we've been having practices on Sundays. As warm-ups began, I could feel my legs aching. I pushed through the first half of practice without any real problems. As soon as we started a half field scrimmage, I was dying. I continued to push myself until the end, and I was glad for it. During the season, I hope to have regular playing time.
On this Monday, I am tired. My legs are sore. It should all be worth the effort. I'd like to be able to run 90 minutes. I think a game averages about 7-10 miles, but that is 7-10 miles of stopping, starting and sprinting. Its grueling. The Shamrock Run was a definite help. I had a lot of fun with our small group. I was feeling the pain in practice, but its all worth it. I just hope we play well in the first few games.
