Long Run Done
Today I ran 18 miles. Last sunday’s run was so great & so fun, and then this morning there was a beautiful sunrise and a rainbow, so I was so sure that today was going to be great.
Sidebar – last night was not great. It was day 2 of my bike challenge, and I rode downtown to meet a friend for nachos & beer (carbo loading, right?). On the first part of my ride, I almost got ran over by a bus that crossed into the bike lane. I could barely hold my bike steady & keep it from getting sucked into the side of the bus, but I did. Then I got to my destination, and while attempting to park my bike, I stepped off the curb & pulled a muscle. It’s no big – one of those little strains that you know will be fine in a couple of days.
So – I had beer & nachos with my friend, which was cool!
And then, the ride home, for reasons that I will not elaborate on here, was not good. I had pretty much declared that I was a) never riding my bike again, b) never riding downtown again, c) never leaving the house again, and d) perhaps becoming a hermit & moving into an anchoress’s cell.
I did not have a good evening, in other words. BUT – I was hopeful for today.
The run today was not as good. My ankles & lower legs were sore. The knee started getting sore. There were no pains, but lots and lots of aches.
Today’s 18 miles was a full 50 minutes slower than last Sunday’s 15! CRAZY! However, when looking at my little Garmin graphs, I think that for the parts I was actually running were in the right range – I just needed so many walk breaks today! I started taking a walk break at the top of every mile, which is how I got through today.
18 miles, 3:25:24, average pace – 11:25 (last week? 10:28…wow!)
The other reason I got through? My kick ass running buddy JM! My long runs would be WAAAY longer if I didn’t have her & The Ambitious One (who did 12 today) to run with.
After 18 miles, JM & I went to my local McMenamin’s for burgers & beer & the architect met us there.
After that, I had an appointment with a sports nutritionist. I have been concerned that I am not adequately fueling my body for the amount of exercise I do, and feel dumb that I can’t figure it out by myself, but finally admitted defeat & got help. My nutritionist, Kate, is pretty fantastic. She thinks I should eat more, so I definitely liked her right off the bat. We worked on a fueling plan for long runs, and talked about how I can start to lose weight once the marathon is over. I’d like to go into triathlon training next spring lean & mean (well, not really mean, but you know what I’m saying).
So – the day wasn’t great, but hey! I ran 18 miles. Next week is 20 miles. Then taper. CRAZY! Only one long run left…I’m not sure I even believe that the marathon is only one month from today. I think I’ll be ready. I know I’ll be able to finish, at least, and that’s the real goal for a first marathon, right?
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