The day I've been dreading all week -- the long run. This week, it's 10 miles. I mapped out a pretty flat, 2.5 mile each way loop and did two "laps." It's along a 4 lane road with a fair amount of traffic, and I prefer my serene side-road runs. I KNEW there was no way I could do 10 miles with the hills I face on my shorter runs, so I took it to the streets. Does anyone know if it's a runner "show of support"-type thing to honk? A few people did and it scared the crap out of me every time! I was like, "What? I'm not in your way... do I have an incredibly long string of toilet paper stuck to my shoe or something?" Anyway, I was a little concerned about the weather because of the very weird and very severe storms we had last night -- the wind blew the rain so hard against the windows that it actually woke me up. But the sky was just a little overcast and it held out for most of my run. The light drizzle at the end felt good!
I finished the first 5 mile lap in 47:00, which wasn't TOO bad, but the second half was tougher. I hadn't prepared by hydrating the day before and the breakfast I ate wasn't enough to sustain the energy level I needed to keep up to finish. I also didn't take any water with me (NOT a smart move), and by about mile 6.5 - 7, I was feeling dizzy and woozy. I stopped to walk for a couple of minutes, mostly because my hands/arms were sort of numbing out and my vision was tunneling. Note to self: PREPARE next time! But I picked it back up and ended up finishing around 1:40:00, which works out to an average of about 10 min/mile. Not too bad, about where I wanted to be. I have a camelback from my days in the Army (we NEEDED them in Saudi), so I'm going to dust that bad boy off for the next trek. I also wish I had spent a little more time organizing my iPod for a run of that duration. I've really come to rely on it, and I ended up, instead of working off a playlist like I normally do, scrolling back and forth through all of my music in the main folder. That was sort of annoying, so I'll make a "long run" playlist that'll include all sorts of stuff, not just music. Two hours is a long time to listen to Madonna, Avril Lavigne and the like.
: )
....and the thing that I missed the most was a cheering section! When I was at home in MD, it was SO nice to have my parents and kids out cheering me on. It really helped to motivate me, push me, give me a sense of accountability... the car honkers just weren't the same.
: )
Next week is supposed to be 12 miles, but I think I'm going to stick with 10 again and try and improve my time or at least feel a little better while running it. Regardless, I'm into double digits and pretty proud of my accomplishment!
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2 comments:
Hey there! Congrats on the 10 miler! HUGE accomplishment. Just a few miles away from a full 1/2 marathon. With the car honking -- it goes both ways.
1) They are honking in support and to cheer you on!
2) They are honking to scare the crap out of you.
I think more often than not, people are honking to support you. :)
Erin--CONGRATULATIONS!!! That's incredible. I still cannot even imagine running 10 miles. I bet the drizzling rain at the end felt amazing!
I have to say, I think the honking thing is pretty rude. When people honk at me while I'm riding my bike I find it extremely jarring and nerve-wracking. I can't imagine that it's a show of solidarity--I don't know who would be driving along, see someone running, and think "Oh, I too enjoy running, let me blast my horn at this lady or fellow, they're bound to understand and appreciate it." I would have given them the finger.
Also, check out the "Podrunner" podcasts! So far I'm really enjoying them. Great for both keeping you on pace and allowing you to zone out a little!
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