Yesterday, three miles knocked my socks off. Today, I pushed through fourteen solid miles. Running is funny like that. Every run is new and different. As I told you, yesterday’s snafu turned into today’s motivation….and motivation it was!
I woke up before the alarm, ready for a challenge! First, breakfast.
I toasted two slices of cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread and topped each with almond butter and banana. A toast stack, if you will. Of course, I had a cuppa Joe to go along with my breakfast, which was tasty. Ezekiel bread is OK, but I definitely need to restock the Yoga Bread. My heart belongs to Yoga Bread.
During breakfast, I received a couple of motivational texts and tweets. Thanks for the encouragement. I needed it and it worked! I bound out the door, slightly nervous, but excited at the same time. I had everything I needed - Honey Stinger chews, Sports Beans, a Camelbak filled with a mix of coconut water and H20. Ready, set, GO!
Total Distance: 14.0 miles
- Mile 1 – 9:06/mi
- Mile 2 – 8:56/mi
- Mile 3 – 9:17/mi
- Mile 4 – 9:25/mi – Two Honey Stinger chews…tasty and easy to digest!
- Mile 5 – 9:19/mi
- Mile 6 – 9:43/mi
- Mile 7 – 9:33/mi – Three more Honey Stingers.
- Mile 8 – 10:00/mi- Um….will this hill ever end? I might die!
- Mile 9 – 9:26/mi – Ahhh….that’s better!
- Mile 10 – 9:19/mi – Three Sport Beans…chomp! chomp!
- Mile 11 – 9:43/mi – Quite possibly the most boring road I’ve ever been on.
- Mile 12 – 9:19/mi – Back on home turf!
- Mile 13 – 9:41/mi
- Mile 14 – 9:52/mi – The happy dance!!
Total Time: 2:12:43
Average Pace: 9:28/mi
My run ended at a CVS. I promptly walked in to buy a cold bottle of water.
I think my appearance scared the customers. They kindly let me cut the line. Haha! Maybe my sweaty self didn’t belong in a public establishment, but I needed water! I made a joke, we all laughed, all was right with the world!
This run felt like a true victory. It wasn’t easy, but the challenge was good. It wasn’t painful or pitiful. I am basking in the glow of a fourteen mile morning.
***
My post-run routine went a little like this:
Stretch, ice bath, eat! I’ve got a hot date with my foam roller, too. Considering I just finished the longest run of my life, I feel pretty good – some minor tightness, but that’s about it. I feel like I made the right decision yesterday. Had I pushed my body into exhaustion or dehydration, this run may not have happened….and this run was really important to me.
The moral of the story is….train smarter, not harder. Lesson learned!
