And I Crushed It!

I woke up before my alarm today. I tossed and turned all night, anticipating said alarm. 17 miles on tap for this morning and I was dreading them. My last few long runs have left a lot to be desired and the thought of running 17 undesirable miles brought me to tears. I sucked it up, got out of bed, got dressed and made myself some oatmeal. My plan was to run four miles outside and then finish up with 13 on the treadmill. I’ve been trying to run outside as much as I can when hubby is home to watch the boys. I know that my marathon is outside and not on the treadmill and let’s face it; outside running is far more enjoyable. I did my first four miles and they were magnificent. I have no idea what my splits are because my Garmin was dead this morning. Epic fail. Before stepping out the door, I grabbed one of the gels that I had laid out for my treadmill set and threw it into the pocket of my skirt. After the first four miles, I was stretching my calves and felt the gel. I decided what the heck, today was made for running. So I sucked down the gel and ran another four. If I had thrown anymore in my pocket I would have finished up my whole run outside. It was that good. My legs felt light, my lungs cooperated, there was a beautiful sunrise and the birds were singing. It was a perfect morning for running!

I ran a total of 8 miles outside at 1:33:29. The temperature was 63 degrees, 83% humidity and a dew point of 58. I ran 9 miles inside at 1:52:30. A total of 17 miles at 3:25:59. I still cannot figure out my proper pace on the treadmill. I feel like I am putting in a solid effort and I’m averaging 12 minute miles. The same pace outside gives me 10:30 minute miles. Perceived effort I guess?

Starting my run, I made the conscious effort to start out slow and steady, 17 miles is no joke and I wanted to finish strong instead of the usual crash and burn. I ran 4 minutes and walked 1 minute. In my past runs, I have run 4 walked 30 seconds and the wheels always come off in the second half. The 4:1 ratio (that I even kept on the treadmill) was perfect. I will keep that ratio for my next long runs (20 mi, 23 mi and 26 mi), only three more to go before race day! I took a gel every four miles (4, 8, 12 and 16). I had just water for the first 8 miles outside and then started alternating with water and nuun for the last 9. Like I said, I finished strong and didn’t feel too dehydrated by the end. I was covered in salt and had some nasty chaffing. Nothing that a little preemptive body glide can’t fix next time around.

I did eat half of a Clif bar after the 8 miles outside. I have noticed on my past runs that I get so hungry mid run I start to cramp. Trying to decide if I should bring a Clif bar on race day cut into 3rds in a Ziploc or just grab a kids’ Z bar. I will experiment on the last three long runs! I am elated that there are only three more to go! This has been a hard distance to train for. A half marathon definitely fits into my family time much easier than a full. As of this moment, I am not sure if I will run another full until the boys are much older and can stay home by themselves. I do know that it could completely change post race and I’ll probably sign up for my next one immediately. I am running a half marathon next month. It coincides with my 23 miler. I will run the race (my only 2013 race) and then come home and run 10 more.

What worked for today:

Carb loading yesterday was a success! Waffle with Greek yogurt for breakfast, sandwich and salad for lunch, snack, and spaghetti for dinner

Pre and during run fueling was a success! Oatmeal this morning, gels every 4 miles, half a clif bar mid run, water and nuun

Sticking to the 4:1 ratio

Lessons learned:

Body Glide. Body Glide. Body Glide

Need to get sunglasses for outside running

Charge the Garmin

I really needed this run today. It re-ignited my passion for running and proved that I am much stronger than I think.

It’s a great day for running y’all!