It all started pretty bad. I woke up later than I had planned, it was raining, and then I found out my camel bag was leaking. For a moment, I considered just staying home and do this another day. But the thing is, when I have something in mind, I just want to do it and be done. So that’s what I did.
Screw the rain and screw the camel bag. I left the water at home and started walking in the rain. I wasn’t at the end of our street that my feet were already soaked. Bad start indeed.
It rained intermittently for another 2 or 3 miles and then the sun started timidly piercing through the clouds. Frenetically looking at the weather app on my phone, it looked like it was going to be a cloudy day with no more rain. Perfect!
The problem was that I was wet. My feet were what bothered me the most. I considered calling Tina to come and meet me with a towel and dry clothes, but again, I said screw this, I’ll deal with what I’m given, which is wet clothes and cold and wet feet.
I started getting thirsty at about mile 6 so I stopped by a 7-Eleven to get a small bottle of water and a snickers, because, well, I hadn’t eaten anything that morning except for 4 Advils.
The first 13 miles or so are easy but then everything below the belt begins to hurt. The butt cheeks, the knees, and the feet, which by that time were almost dry. Or maybe they just felt like they were dry?
I stop every now and then to stretch my legs. It feels so good. My butt cheeks hurt the most and I know they’d feel much better if I would just sit down for 10 minutes, but ain’t nobody got time for that! I want to do the 26.2 miles in under 7 hours so I’m not taking any break at all except for stretching. No sitting!
I’ve gone more than half way now without listening to anything and quite frankly, my own thoughts are starting to bore me. So I listen to an episode of The Daily and then start listening to the new Joe Rogan with Elon Musk (much better than the first one btw). Quick aside: Joe Rogan still feels like a broken record with his “California this, Texas that, more freedom, blah blah blahâ€).
Tina is periodically checking on me, asking if I need anything or if I want her to pick me up. “I’d rather die†was my answer. A bit dramatic maybe, but it conveyed the idea.
Now walking on the 101 along the beach, my morale feels reinvigorated. Probably the ocean air. But my butt cheeks still hurt and I’m starting to get sand in my shoes. I eventually stop and sit down in Cardiff to remove the sand off my shoes and clean up my socks. A minute later I’m back on my feet. Almost there! Well, another 9 miles.
I stop at another 7-Eleven to get another small bottle of water and another sugary treat.
Now walking in Encinitas and Leucadia, I feel the excitement of knowing exactly where I’m at and how much closer I’m getting to home.
I really have to pee though but nowhere to stop. A few porta potties from construction sites along the way are locked so I can’t use them. Damn. Nowhere to pee really. I’ll hold it until I get home, it’s ok.
I’m now about 5 miles away from home when I see Tina’s yellow car driving my way. They slow down to wave at me. Seeing their smiley faces was so nice. Just the little pick-me-up I needed.
Almost there! The last mile is always the hardest one, especially because we live at the top of a hill. My feet are now really hurting. So are my butt cheeks. But at least it’s not the burning pain I felt on my first marathon walk (that was because of bad soles in my shoes).
Finally home and did it all in 6 hours and 34 minutes. Honestly I’m not sure I can make it faster than that because I walked at a pretty good pace all along without really taking breaks besides stretching.
The minutes per mile range showing on my Apple Watch shows an average of 15 minutes per mile but this is skewed by all the time I wasted stretching or waiting for the light to turn green to cross a street. I think my actual walking pace is at or slightly below 14 minutes per mile.
I took another 4 Advils when I got home and sipped on a delicious “medicinal†drink, which might have helped reduce inflammation.
Now the next day, my butt cheeks and my legs feel sore. This is nowhere near as painful as it was on my first marathonian walk where I was basically incapacitated for 2 days. Again, having better shoes made a world of difference.