Yesterday one of my very best friends and I completed our very first half marathon. That means we ran 13.1 miles....and ran the whole thing, no walking. We also ran for an hour in a terrential down pour! It has only rained like 10 times in the 3 years we've been here...and it just happened to rain on the day of our race. Here are some pics from the race of Jess and I...but this blog is not about the run....but about the day before.
My hip had been hurting, due to months of training and running on pavement I am sure. I wanted so badly to be able to run the 13.1 miles without pain so I headed to Target and bought some Bengay. The day before the race I put bengay on my hip a couple of times though out the day, and it seemed to help ease the pain. So, after my evening bath I decided that since I was only like 9 hours away from the race I should lather up with some more bengay. So, lather up...did I ever? I put that stuff on as though it was body lotion or moisturizer. I rubbed that creme all over and used quite a bit. Confident that I would be pain free though the night and the next morning, I headed to bed. By the time I crawled in and pulled the covers up I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. Then within like 30 seconds the entire lower half of my body was ON FIRE! I ran into the bathroom and tried scrubbing my legs with a wash cloth. I was still in pain. I tried soaking in cold water, stood in front of a fan, fanned myself, blew on my skin...I tried everything. All I could think was that this had to be 1st or 2nd degree burn. I had a quick moment of insight into my role as a believer. If this was anything (or a mild version) of what Hell was like...then I just absolutely had to warn others. After about 15 long minutes my burn seemed to ease....I crawled into bed and begin to shiver....it was the strangest experience ever. I went from one extreme to the other.....and now all I can say is never again! I will not use Bengay as body lotion as long as I live and I have no idea what I was thinking. .Right now, after the race my knee is aching in pain in need of some relief...But from now on I say....."No Way Bengay!"
...Oh andthe photos....
We made shirts that said.."Running out of things to say???" It had all kinds of questions and topics for conversation for us and for the runners around us. I mean we were running for 2 1/2 hours! We did not run out of things to say.
Jess and I before the race. Before we got out of the parking garage...this is the last shot of us in dry clothes.
Mile 12 1/2....only half a mile to go!!!!!
Crossing the finish line...the clock time isn't our real time... we actually finished running in 2 h 33 min. (you have to subtract our 15 minute wait in line at the portapotty)
WE DID IT!!!!!! I am so blessed by her!
