ITB Anonymous: Session IV

Hello everyone, my name is Ms. Nomer, and I have a problem.

A bit of trivia before I start: what is an important difference between running and swimming?

After a swim, you're not smelly!

This past week, my bedroom has been suffused with the antispetic smell of chlorine, unlike the usual musky smell emanating from the laundry basket at the corner of the room. I almost like the sweaty smell more than the chlorine smell, just because it is more familiar and it always makes me feel happy and accomplished.

So after a week of not running, I went for my first run yesterday evening. My mind had grown soft -- I wasn't looking forward to exerting myself at all -- but once I got started, it felt so remarkably good to get gloriously sweaty again. Great big glops of sweat, like a labourer at work. And the cadence of the feet, the ability to breathe whenever I wanted to, the music in my ears, the road before me, it was all very good.

And then of course, the pain set in.

I have resigned myself to the fact that I will not be able to walk after the marathon this coming Sunday. It is not like I haven't cut back my mileage. My total mileage this past week was less than 10km. How I am going to go from less than 10km to 42.195km this coming Sunday is going to somewhat of a miracle on the Moses-parting-the-red-sea scale. Not to mention the ITB. My longest run so far is about 26km; my ITB is probably irrevocably inflamed; the die is cast.

But dang it, I'm going to finish it anyway, hobbling if required.

So, since it doesn't help to ruminate on this matter any more as the die is cast, I'll just do what I have to this week (swim the freestyle, eat, drink) and think about something else altogether:

Do people sweat when they swim?

If so, is that why public pools taste salty?

Food for though eh? :) Have a good day.