9.75

I had planned to do my long run on Sunday this weekend, but we woke up to heavy rain that didn't let up once all day.  Streets were flooding, train stations were closing -- it was not the kind of rain that you just buck up and run through.

So I waited until Monday.  We were visiting my in-laws up north, so I asked my SIL, Annette, to map out a nice 9-miler for me, with an optional 1-mile loop at the end.  (For those who don't know, Annette is training for her first marathon, so she's pretty much covered all the ground in a 20-mile radius around her house.)  She came up with a great route the night before, and showed me the 18-miler she planned to run.  I joked that we would finish at about the same time.

Monday morning was gray, but not raining.  I ate half a peanut butter sandwich and had a half cup of coffee as soon as I woke up to give myself time to digest.  I was still sort of hungry and thought about eating another half a sandwich, but decided to hold off.  Instead I packed two energy gels and Nuun sports drink for the run.  I figured it was better to run lighter than heavier.

Of course, by the time we got the kids started on breakfast, got into our gear, and loaded up our fuelt belts, it had started drizzling again.  Annette headed out anyway, but within a minute, it was pouring.  She came back, saying its one thing to get caught in a downpour, but its another to consciously start out an 18-mile run in that kind of weather.  I had to agree.... I was planning half the distance and there was no way I was running in that rain.

Well, the rain let up again in a few minutes, and the sky looked pretty light, so we decided to go for it.  I had written down the names of the streets I needed to follow on an index card and also put it in my iPhone.  I had my gels, my Nuun, water, and Chapstick. 

Man, it was soooooooooo nice to run in cool, wet weather.  What a huge and wonderful contrast to the hot, humid weather we've been having all summer.  Not only did it feel great in terms of not battling the temperature and struggling to breathe, but it was just pure fun!  I think the last time I went out and did something as seemingly dumb as running in the rain was probably highschool... And that's exactly how I felt: like a kid again.  I was hopping over puddles, running up onto people's lawns and driveways, and enjoying the feeling of the mist on my skin.  I could feel cool little rivulets running through my hair down my scalp.  It was just awesome.   I'll try not to be too wordy with the rest of my recap: 

Miles 1-3:  I started with a 10-minute warm-up walk, which took me down a moderately busy street in a residential area.  I was VERY happy I didn't have another half a sandwich, as peanut butter burps plagued me the entire way.  I also regretted the coffee I drank, as I was dying to hit a bathroom before I even hit mile 2.  Luckily when I got to Main Street, there was a Starbucks right there.  Running-wise, I was still warming up, getting my breathing right.  At one point I felt a twinge of pain go from the outer part of my knee down my shin to ankle, and thought I had injured myself.  But it never came back - it must have just been the way I hit the ground on one stride or something.  I stuck with my 5/1 run/walk, checking my iPhone for timing.  Despite the peanut butter burps, I did feel hungry, and it had been about 2 hours since I ate, so I had my first gel.  Lemon-lime Gu.  Not too bad.  Nice to be able to wash sticky fingers in the Starbucks sink.

Miles 4-7:  It was raining pretty heavily when I got out of Starbucks, so I decided to tuck my iPhone into my running skirt pocket and "go rogue."  I had the index card with directions, and I was confident that I could listen to my body and pace myself well for the long haul.  Focusing on the 5/1 is for short training runs; its not as important for my long run. 

I ran down Main Street past stores that weren't open yet and one friendly man walking a very unfriendly little dog.  I made a right turn off Main Street for what I knew was going to be the longest unbroken stretch of the run -- about 3 miles down one road.  There was a pretty wide shoulder to run on, lots of trees and bushes -- and lots of puddles.  Long Islanders, God love them, are not known to be particularly patient or easy-going as a people, and that is certainly true of their driving.  I erred on the side of caution, and anytime the shoulder got narrow at all, I jumped up on someone's lawn without thinking twice.  There was also a sidewalk with trees and bushes jutting out into it, so between the puddles and hopping on to people's lawns and dodging tree branches, it was almost like trail-running and I was having a lot of fun. 

The rain had not stopped, and my shoes were squishing water at this point, but I felt wonderful.  My legs felt great, I was full of energy, and I was loving life.  I was actually grinning and singing out loud with my iPhone as I ran.  I am sure I looked insane.  I wanted to stop doing intervals because it felt so good, but I knew I had to preserve my energy for the last part of the run.  These four miles went by so pleasantly and quickly that I almost missed my turn to start the last third of my run!   

Miles 7-9:  Luckily Annette had told me there was a gas station at the 7-mile mark with a nice bathroom (which is the only reason I didn't run right past the road I was supposed to turn down!)  I went in, took another potty break, then ate my second gel.   I had been holding the index card with directions on it, but between the rain and my sweaty little paws, it was almost illegible.  Luckily there were on a couple more roads before I got home, and I knew I would recognize them when I saw them.

I came out of the station and started jogging again.  My hips were really tight and my quads felt tired.  There had been some mild rolling hills along the way, and I felt it in my glutes, upper thighs, and calves.  I stopped for a moment and stretched next to a big, mossy tree.  That felt great, and I jogged up the next hill with muscles that felt tired but strong.  At this point, it also felt easier to keep jogging than to stop and start, so I decided to let myself do away with the intervals and jog slowly for the last couple miles.

Soon, I felt like I was drowning in a sea of lactic acid. My legs were so tired.  It almost felt like I was moving against resistance, like walking in a pool.  I knew I was close to the end, though, and the excitement I felt about accomplishing my goal kept me going.  As I made the last turn back toward Annette's neighborhood, I knew I could go farther than my original 9-mile plan, so I made a right turn and did a half-mile out and back before I continued home. 

As I got closer to Annette's house, I dug in and picked up my pace a tiny bit.  Even my feet were tired at this point.  It felt so amazing to hit her driveway and realize I had just run almost 10 miles.  I turned around and did a short cool-down walk up her street and back.  Every single muscle in my body was tired, from the soles of my feet to the top of my neck.  I raised my arms over my head to stretch and they felt like they weighed twice as much as normal.

But I felt great.  I was victorious!!!  At that point, I knew I could handle the Half Marathon.  I'm not going to make any great times, but I'm going to finish it, and finish it strong. I have another month left to get stronger and do a couple more long runs and practice my hills.

Lessons Learned:  

• I can't drink coffee before a run because of the diuretic effect.  I had to pee sooooo bad!  However, I also don't want to go through caffeine withdrawals in the middle of a long run.  One cup of plain green tea in the morning is the plan from here on out. 
• More Gu.  I was really hungry by the end of this run.  I'll pack 1 or 2 more Gu's for my next one.
• Need a new breakfast food.  Going to try the Vega Performance shake that Annette had.
• Stick with intervals.  I think the reason I felt so tired at the end is because I didn't stop for walk breaks.  For the Half, I need to keep doing my intervals until I'm ready to make the last push to the finish line.  I want to finish strong!!!
• Recovery - I took everyone's advice and had more carbs during the day, and it helped immensely.  I also drank a Hammer Recoverite shake right after the run (added a banana, almond milk and some Greek yogurt).  It was easy to digest and filled me up.

Question for all you experienced running peeps:  Do your feet get tired when you run?  And if so, what did you do to address that?  I recently bought a pair of New Balance 880s, which I love.  I have a pretty neutral gait, with a tiny bit of over pronation in the right foot.  The NB 880s are pretty neutral on arch support and are a mid-cushion shoe, as opposed to a high-cushion.  I love the way they feel, but I'm thinking maybe I need a shoe with more arch support and more cushion?  Or maybe this is just part of training, and my feet and ankles will get stronger....