My long 22 mile run for this week is complete! Although I had to make some last minute adjustments I survived with my sanity intake. It was very tough and although I made decent time I'm not going to lie and say it was great because it wasn't. It was so mentally draining and I know non-runners don't understand this, but being out on the road for 3.5 hours with yourself can be very grueling. You have to talk yourself through the pain, frustration, and doubt. I spent the majority of my time out there thinking about the biggest issue in my life right now and that just about did me in. If that road could talk it'd tell me to seek counseling.
My original plan was to run before church which meant I had to be finished by 8 a.m. I decided to start at 4 a.m. so that would give me a good four hours to finish the full 22 miles. If anyone is curious as to how I figured out the time needed for a long run it's fairly simple. I average about 1.5 hours for 10 miles so that's 3 hours for 20 miles. Then add on 2 miles which would be another 15-20 minutes. For a long run it's best to give yourself at least another 30 minutes for stretching, bathroom, stiffness, weather, or whatever other issues may arise. Pretty easy math.
The next step was to coordinate with Bryan. I was going to run the first 10 miles by myself then meet up with him around 5:30 to run the remaining 12. Unfortunately there was an emergency in the middle of the night so both Bryan and I were paged out to assist. I was able to return home fairly quickly but Bryan didn't fair so well. When I woke up to get ready for my run I had a text from him apologizing for not being able to run with me. Thank you Bryan for volunteering your time to our community!
I made some quick decisions on my running route, ate an english muffin with peanut butter, drank my tea, packed my essentials, lubed up, agreed to text Mike a few times, and out I went. Safety was a big concern for the first hour of my run. It was still fairly dark outside and I was going a long distance by myself which concerned Mike. I wore my Xinglet, headlamp, and arm light so I was more than visible. I brought along my iPod but promised myself I was not going to use it until the sun was fully up and I had a clear visual of my surroundings. I forgot about eating prior to the run so I didn't actually start until 4:23 (hey I keep track), which meant I'd only be running in the dark for about 30 minutes.
Mike text me about 4 miles out to see how it was going and since I'm multi-talented I didn't have to stop to text back. I think it made me more nervous because I knew that he was worried. I only saw two cars before the sun came up and I watched them very carefully. I came up with a plan in case I saw anything suspicious but thankfully I didn't need to use it. It was a cool quiet Sunday morning with hardly any traffic, a few deer, an eagle, a fox, and a dead skunk. Yep, just me, myself, and I. What better way to make a person go absolutely insane. I wasn't a pretty sight.
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| The turnaround is a lovely site |
I made it to the Old Mill road in just over an hour and a half so I was on track for getting home in time, although the easy part was over. I packed away my headlamp and Xinglet and broke out the iPod. I counted down every mile and once I finally made it to the tower I had only 6 miles left. I stopped to text Mike and do a quick stretch. Only one hour left! Ugh it was going to hurt. My legs and lower back were starting to get stiff and the sweat dripping down my arms was making the sleeves of my jacket wet and very uncomfortable. My glasses fogged up quite a few times on the way back so I was trying to wipe them on my shirt which just smeared the moisture. I tried toilet paper but that just left lint on the lenses. I will never forget to order contacts again.
At mile 18 I stopped again for a quick stretch and then turned to see the road behind me. With only 4 miles left I realized I had made it to this point all on my own. No easy feat with my head taking me in so many different directions. While I was at the tower I text Mike about my mental state and he offered to come pick me up. All I could muster up was a Nope. I needed to do this on my own and I needed to fight those issues in my head. It didn't seem like the right time or the right place, but when would be the right time and where would be the right place? It's just Mike and I raising our kids trying to make the right choices while enjoying the life we've been given. It's tough when you're accused of wrong doing, especially when you're not even sure why, but that's when you have to let other peoples problems be their own. I like to help and I like to try and fix things. People are not things and they can't be helped if they don't want it. I get that now. It's easy to fix problems in your head but when you face reality you see the world has cracks. Some people can be cruel, unforgiving, and selfish. It's just the way life is I guess, but I can choose to stay away from all that. Running with that in your head for 2.5 hours is bound to break a person at some point. That's what happened to me today- I broke out there. It was a bit ugly but God got me through it and I was able to brush myself off and keep going. Let the mending begin.
Sorry to ramble but that's what happens when you run alone. Did I scare anyone off from running?
I thought I'd take a quick picture with my phone and I tried to make it look like I was running. I was actually just standing on one leg. It was really difficult to do at that point but I managed to hold the position long enough to snap this.
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| The road behind me at mile 18 |
As soon as I reached the finish I checked my phone and it was 7:49. So my approximate run time was 3 hours and 26 minutes. Not too bad considering I ran back for gum, took one bathroom break, stretched a few times, and felt pretty slow for the last 6 miles. I still need to work on the speed to get the time I want for the Twin Cities Marathon. All in due time.
The Aftermath
My left hip is really sore and so are my legs. The chaffing is so bad I'm walking like I've been riding bareback on a horse for two days straight. Sometimes I hate being a women- enough said. I was suppose to go train for martial arts this afternoon but my body was much too sore for that. I was able to squeeze in a nap after a much needed shopping trip. I thought for sure I would stiffen me up a bit more than I already was but that wasn't the case. I feel pretty good overall and thankfully tomorrow is a much needed day off from running. The plan is to start round 2 of Insanity so hopefully by evening I'll feel up to that. Can't wait for Sean T. to kick my butt again!
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