I did my long run (12 miles) today. In the rain, wind, & 45 degree temperatures. Good times were not had, but I do feel like if I can finish the run from today in those conditions, a 1/2 marathon in July should be a piece of cake. I finished in 2:17, which is quite a ways off my normal pace, but I'll take it, given how many times I was tempted to bail.
It was totally a test of mental strength over endurance, not really helped that I did seven miles yesterday (I was supposed to do 6) because I'm a jackhole who can't read a map & got lost. Yes, not even GPS combined with a map can help me.
I was so wet by the time I got back to my car, that I stripped down to my sports bra in the parking lot. As I would raise my hands up & down to run, water would run off my jacket onto my legs. Ahhhh, yes. Spring in Seattle. :-)
But, I did it! I'm proud of myself for putting in the miles & getting it done. When I was about 6 miles in and the wind picked up, I spotted a Starbucks in the distance a ways off the trail. (The trail is pedestrian/bike only, but crosses through various towns.) I would have sold my car for a latte and a ride back to my house, but stuck it out.
Now, please entertain me with stories of your most painful or least successful runs!
In good news, the fuel belt worked well, and I tried a new Power Bar energy chew, & liked the Raspberry flavor. It's definitely chewier than the Clif Bar Chomps, so if you can get past the chewing thing, the flavor is great.
Favorite thing I saw on my run - a guy riding his bike with grocery bags tied to his shoes & the handlebars. Genius! :-)
Yeah how about that blogger blackout BOOO! One of the first times I did a long run was very memorable as I had um GI problems and no toilet paper with me on a very empty dirt road. I was close to my brothers house. I waddled the last mile or so to his house and burst in on a sunday morning early, scaring him and his wife and ran straight for the bathroom, thank God they didn't have their door locked, no time for that!
ReplyDeleteOk, if I had to run past a Starbucks on my hard runs, I'd have to be a superhero to keep going. Score one for living in the middle of nowhere and running by farms :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the 12 miles!! 2:17 is an amazing time, seriously. Especially in the pouring rain and cold weather! I can do rain, but rain AND 45 degree temps? No way! You're so inspiring :)
ReplyDeleteI've run in snow, crazy wind, and just-above-zero temps. And every time I do it I question my sanity. But those runs make us so much tougher.
ReplyDeleteHmm, my most painful run was definitely my recent half marathon. The long story is on my blog, but the short version is that water intoxication sucks a lot.
ReplyDeleteWay to keep running alone, even when you didn't want to! I've never done more than 5 miles alone because I think I would lost my mind.
Have I mentioned how excited I am about winning your giveaway? I've told everyone I've ever met.
Hi, thanks for finding my blog! I'm probably not doing Mud and Chocolate this spring, maybe in November...it's tempting though! (Who knows, maybe I'll jump in at the last minute if there's space.) Last year the 4.5 mile and half marathon were together, they've split it up this time. My #1 tip is to get there early and drive into the park for parking. Do not park on the road as recommended in the directions--it is FAR into the park. The Redmond Watershed is a really nice place to run. The course is about half easy running (dirt and gravel roads/paths) and half more technical trail (roots, rocks, etc.). I'm not much of a runner but I did do a couple trail races last year when I was looking for some fall running events. I can't go fast on the trails, though. The half marathon is 3 loops, about 4.3 miles each. The total is less than 13.1. When the two races were together, the first loop was pretty fast and a little crowded with the 4.5-ers along, but the rest of the way I was alone quite a lot, until my final loop when there were several women in my vicinity. Presumably there will be more people doing the half this year now that all the slots won't be filled with 4.5-ers. The chocolate is yummy...I took some away in a napkin. :) Good luck and have fun! I'm doing the Vegas Half in December too, and I'm signed up for See Jane Run but I'm double-booked that weekend so probably will not be able to do it.
ReplyDeleteJust to clarify, I meant to say I'm not much of a TRAIL runner. Not meaning to diss myself! :)
ReplyDeleteOne other thing. Just so you won't think I'm a complete idiot, commenting twice...I thought that the comment I wrote on the previous comment had gotten lost in the blogosphere (since there seemed to be a glitch signing in), thus ended up recreating it here. But just scrolled back to look at your prior post, and there I was. Ha.
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