16 > 13.1 Like, woah.
Since my last post, I did my first "real" long run. I'd never run any distance longer than 13.1 miles before (the distance of a 1/2 marathon). I've run several 1/2 marathons, but have never really run this distance in training - i.e., on my own, without the benefit of the crowd, the clock, the finisher's medal, the t-shirt, etc. It's entirely different to run a long distance voluntarily, with only you and your determination to push you through, than it is to run that same distance for a race.
Needless to say, it was really, really hard to run the designated 16 miles. I should've been at this point weeks ago, but missed a ton of training to rest my foot. It was so frustrating to realize how tired I was early on in the run. If I hadn't sacrificed that training time, my endurance would be much better and I wouldn't have hit the wall so soon. Woulda/coulda/shoulda, I guess.
I had Ben wake me up at about 2:30am the night before so that I could eat breakfast. I hadn't ever done this before, always preferring to just eat before I go. But I tend to have mild-to-seriously-annoying stomach cramps when I run for over an hour, so I decided to try the get-up-and-eat strategy. I think it really helped, too, because I didn't have any cramps the entire way! (Stomach/side cramps, that is.) I hate to get up in the middle of the night/early morning, but I think it'll really help me on the long runs. I have such low blood sugar in the mornings that I have to eat right away, but if I've eaten during the night, I can just lace up my shoes and go.
The only fueling problem I had was that I drank too much water with my second gel, and it sloshed about in my stomach. This was unpleasant, but honestly I was so tired at that point that I welcomed the chance to slow down and take it easy. This was around mile 10 or so.
My feet and legs hurt like hell after about 8-9 miles, which is normal for me. I was able to shake it off and got my second wind, but after that it was a real drag. My right hip was screaming at me, so I tried to go over it with my muscle massage stick when I got back. Who knows if that helped at all. After the run, I felt about the same as I usually do when I do a long distance run ... but the day after was a totally different story! I don't think I've ever felt quite so drained and sore the day after a run! Man, oh man. I'm seriously glad that I ran on Saturday, because I don't think I could've made it through a work day in that state.
It was seriously tough physically, but mentally, I think doing the first real long run gave me a boost. Even though I love 1/2 marathons, I think 13.1 miles had become more of a barrier than a goal. In the past, I only ever pushed myself to make it through a 1/2 marathon, and this was the first time I strived to go beyond that distance. Proving to myself that it's possible feels pretty good.
Next up is the 10.3 mile Catalina State Park trail race put on by Everyone Runs, Everyone Walks. Even though it's a shorter distance, this may be harder than the 16 miler. I've run the shorter version of this race before, and it is tough. So we shall see how I do! (And if I collapse after doing that run and then going out afterward for Chrissy's bachelorette party!)