20 miles

Fu@%*ng A.

Garmin report here.

Week 11: What I think about when I think about running

This week's title is a spin on the popular memoir by Haruki Murakami called "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running." I keep meaning to pick up this book. Maybe I will after the marathon. I ran for a very long time this weekend - almost 4 1/2 hours - 18 miles - the furthest I have ever run in my life. I had Wacarra with me during the first 6 miles and we chatted away about everything from the election to Weight Watchers to future career goals and aspirations. It's true that whenever I'm not running all I talk to her about is running, and when we are running we talk about everything else :)

After mile 6 we had to say goodbye and I continued on to the next 12 miles alone. I decided to try a new trail this time and started just outside of Matthews Beach Park at 97th Ave NE and Sand Point Way and ran 9 miles up past Bothell Landing and back. The views were straight out of a Monet painting (if Monet painted fall foliage). The trail led me over rickety bridges and still water, through windy paths littered with golden yellow leaves and tall birch trees, past a wild rooster and a pair of bronzed running shoes. Throughout the entire run I was reminded how fortunate I was to live in an area of the country that not only has stunning natural beauty at every turn, but also a population of tax payers who financially support the infrastructure needed to maintain such beautiful trails and parks. Thank you, King County.

So while I was surrounded by all of this beauty, on a slightly chilly, clear autumn morning, I thought about all of the wonderful things that have come into my life from the moment I began running. I am more satisfied with my career than I have ever been; I've become a more supportive friend; and I am in the best relationship of my life. In a nutshell, I am the happiest I have ever been, and I trust that things will only get better. I believe there is a direct correlation between running and achieving and my level of happiness. I guess you could say I've hit the runner's high.

The 18-miles wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Miles 13-16 were still difficult but once again I made it. For the very first time, I looked at my Garmin watch, at the 17.95 miles staring back at me from the display, and I was really, really proud of myself. Eighteen miles is an awesome achievement. I did it. I'm a runner.

Link to the Garmin Report

Week 10: This is really hard

Yesterday I ran my second 16-miler. It was about 10 degrees warmer at the outset of my run, which I noticed right away. Not sure if this affected my running ability or not. Things were uneventful up until mile 8, where I caught up with Alex who ran with me for the remainder of the 16 miles (thank you, Alex!). I can't even articulate how helpful it's been to have my friends show up and run with me. It makes all the difference in the world.

I had a very difficult time from miles 12-16. I tried to explain to Alex that it almost feels like the skin all over my body is screaming. I get irritable, really irritable. Every cell in my body is begging me to stop. I feel like I'm losing it. Mentally, what my brain is thinking cannot catch up to what my mouth is speaking. I lose track of my words mid-sentence, which I find fascinating (it took me four attempts to sound out the word "specifically" - LOL). Does this mean all the glycogen has been depleted from my brain? Just when I think I have nuthin' left, the 16-miles are over. So for the marathon, I only have to run 10 ADDITIONAL MILES. Yeah, no problem.

The good news is that my recovery has been much quicker. My legs are barely sore at all today. I've been stopping several times throughout the long run to stretch my calves, hamstrings, and quads, and it feels like that's been helping. My knee feels good today.

**** Whenever I start to complain to myself about how HARD it is doing these long runs, I have to remind myself - it's NOT SUPPOSED TO be easy. This is why barely a fraction of 1% of the population attempts to run a marathon. This is also why the payoff is so great.

Here's a link to the full Garmin Report if you're interested.