Rewarded for a Stupid Idea

Looking back on this weekend, I definitely was having some mental reasoning issues. It started on Friday when we did our last speed workout until the marathon on Saturday. Basically we sucked at the whole thing, but we still were able to knock out two intervals of a 10 minute run at a 6:30 pace...sounds painful? It is.
The plan for Saturday was a 10-11 mile run. Ideally we wanted something downhill because we are both sick of hills. In order to accomplish this feet, we would have to take two cars. One to leave at the bottom of the hill to take us back to the top where we parked the first car. I don't know what came over me, but Friday afternoon I texted my running partner to see if he was open to running down the canyon like we did several weeks previous. I remember being sore, but not overly after the run. I just assumed that this time would be similar.
On Saturday morning, we met at 5:30 am to drive up the canyon. The idea was that if we got up there early enough, we would miss the majority of the traffic coming up or down the canyon. What we neglected to realize is that Saturday was the first day of the Elk Hunt. To give you an idea of how big a deal that is in this area. When I was in school, we would get two days off in the fall for the deer hunt. They've gotten more politically correct and now they call it "Fall Break". We were passed along the way by plenty of cars and trucks going up and down the canyon.
The idea of it being easier because we had a month more of intense training also turned out to be false. The first 5 miles weren't bad, but by mile 6 I was ready to throw in the towel. The other idea that contributed to our lack of judgement was when we decided to run down the canyon at our ideal marathon pace.
One day of poor judgement + one day of doing what was initially poor judgement = Barely able to move the next day
By Saturday night, my thighs were sore. When I woke up this morning at 4:30 because the cat decided that it was the perfect time to go out, my calves were hurting. By 7 am when I officially woke up, I couldn't move.
Sitting, laying, standing without any movement all feel good. Walking (especially going down stairs) and I am in agony.
The good news is that I have seen the last of that canyon for this season. The marathon course is a 1-2% downhill grade for the first 16 miles. That will feel much different than the 5-6% of the canyon.