Sweet Sixteen

Since this is my first time training for a Marathon, I am achieving new personal best distances nearly each time that I run long.  I can't believe I made it, but I ran SIXTEEN MILES!!

It was really the hardest thing that I have ever done.  And, strangely enough, it wasn't miles 15 and 16 that were the hardest.  That's what I would have anticipated...but it was the miles in between that almost had me in tears.

I had beautiful weather on Friday.  I headed out about 10am with sunshine, 47 degrees and about a 5mph wind with a few gusts.  Shorts and a t-shirt were no problem.

I try to plot my courses with a pit stop about every 5 miles or so.  This allows me to fill my water bottle or use the restroom should the need arise (and it always arises).  I kind of overestimated my first stop and didn't  hit the bend in the trail til about 7 miles.  I ran from 27th and Vine to 14th and Old Cheney (through the trail system) to stop at a gas station there.

Oh, the dreaded first stop.  As soon as I began again, I had a tightness in my left knee.  NO!!!  It wasn't bad, just annoying, so I decided to run through it.  I headed out on Old Cheney Road towards 56th Street, knowing that rolling hills were in my future.  It always makes me feel like a Bad Mammy-Jammy when I'm running up a big hill wearing my Oakley's and my hat, dripping sweat...

My Hero - Mirinda "Rinny" Carfrae

I probably really look more like this:

Cute little runner!

At 56th and Old Cheney, I stopped in at Amigos (wow, did those tacos smell good!) and filled my water.  I turned north to catch the trail that follows Hwy 2 all the way to 27th Street.  My knee was doing okay and I was gearing down a bit every mile to power walk and even give my IT Band a stretch.  My system was working and I was ticking off the miles.

Turning north on 27th and Hwy 2, I made it all the way up to the Zoo before I even looked at my gps feedback.  I was at 14.67 miles and about one mile from home.  Drat!  I stopped at the U-Stop north of the zoo and then proceeded to run uphill for the next half mile or so.  I actually had to run PAST my house and run a little farther to make 16.  Oh man, that was hard!

By the time the ticker read sweet 16, I was done.  I was done with my slippy-slidey fuel belt, done with my running shoes, done with sweating, done with sugary sweet gels, done with my music, done with running. Done, done, done, done, DONE.

So that's my epic Sweet Sixteen Mile run story.  Frankly, I can't see how I'm going to EVER run 10.2 miles longer than that...at the pace I run, that's almost 2 more hours of running.  *urp*  I think I just barfed a little.

The recovery has been good, though my husband is probably getting tired of my Leg Updates.  I spontaneously turn to him and say things like "the knee feels better" or "wow, my quads took the hills well" or "today is better than last night" or "HAIL KALE!"  Nobody really knows what the heck I'm talking about.

Onward, I suppose.  Next week is a "down" week, where my long run is just 8 miles.  Then two weeks from now I need to complete 18 miles.  Am I ready?  Nope.  Will I be by then?

Yes?

YES.