The first week back: I had two mid-week runs right after finding out that I could start running again, so in order to ease back in I ran 4 miles that Wednesday, and 5 miles that Thursday. They were the first times that I had gone running before work, and I hadn't really thought about the fact that I needed to run at 5am, and the sun doesn't rise until 6am. So it was a bit interesting/creepy running that early while it was still dark, but I stayed within our subdivision. Both runs went well!
Last weekend's long run: I was scheduled to run 18 miles last weekend and drop-back to 14 miles this weekend, but since I was supposed to ease back in, I flip flopped those two. The weather was absolutely perfect last Sunday morning, which was a welcome change from the hot, humid summer. Considering that it was my first long run after being off for a week, 14 miles went pretty well, and more importantly, pain free. It was a little tough at the end, which made me very nervous to add on 4 miles the next weekend...
This week: I've been struggling with mid-week runs for awhile now, and while I haven't been too concerned about it because I'm completing my long runs, I still have a feeling of guilt when I don't get in the miles I'm supposed to. I ended up running after work on Tuesday because of the 25 mph winds on Tuesday morning. I was supposed to run 9 miles after work on Wednesday with a co-worker who is also training. We were going to change right after school and go right from there. Of course as I went to go change, I discovered that I had left a key piece of clothing at home... so I told her I was just going to go home and run when I got home. Luckily, another co-worker decided to join her. So, I got home, and of course got distracted by things that needed to be done around the house and didn't get going as soon as I wanted. And then when I did start running, my legs felt like lead. I went about 3 miles and said screw it. I was already nervous enough for my 18 mile run that weekend that I decided I was better off resting my legs for Saturday. So I skipped my Thursday run also...
18 miles: Needless to say, I was really worried about my 18 mile run. With the way 14 miles went, and the way my mid-week runs went, I wasn't sure how 18 was going to happen. And of course when we got up on Saturday, it was rainy. We drove to the trail anyway, hoping it would let up. It was coming down pretty hard when we got there, and it was chilly. I really didn't want to push my run until Sunday, so we waited it out in the car for a few minutes. It finally let up a little, and we got going. We stayed fairly dry until about mile 11 when it started coming down pretty good. It was short lived though, and I pushed on. I found myself not really feeling worn out until about mile 13. It was bearable though, until about mile 16 when I really felt it. At that point though, I knew that if I stopped to walk, I would cramp up and it would be that much harder to start again. I also knew that I would be EXTREMELY upset if I didn't finish, so I pushed on. I'm not sure how, but I successfully ran 18 miles, and my pace was somewhat acceptable (for me, at least...)
So there are a few things that got me through those 18 miles. I'd like to thank:
- My husband, once again. No way I could do that carrying my own water. :)
- My refreshed playlist. Every time I started to feel myself lagging, a new addition to my playlist would come on and get me fired up.
- My new fuel of choice: Pretzel M&M's. As you know, my stomach does not tolerate carb gels, so I have been using Swedish fish. Lately though, they haven't been doing it for me, not to mention how unpleasant it can be to have gumminess in your mouth while running. I found myself craving salt later in my runs, so I had an epiphany when I bought some pretzel M&M's for a cookie recipe: pretzel filling=saltiness, candy outside=sugar to digest quickly and get fuel to my body. They worked really well, and I felt like they did the trick better than the Swedish fish. Plus, they are higher in calories, so I don't have to carry as many!
- The glorious fall temperatures
- The academy
- You, if you have read this far
I still can't believe I ran 18 miles yesterday...
Miles last week: 25 miles
Miles this week: 26 miles
Weeks of training finished: 25 weeks
Total miles of training: 408 miles
yay kat! thanks for posting, i was getting sad. so proud of you for getting yourself this far, you're almost there!!
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