Well, 18.26 miles actually. I did it. My longest run since having my baby 6 months ago and for sure the strongest long run of my life. Ever. I have never felt better on a long run and my spirits are still soaring from the experience. I accomplished what I set out to do – a negative split, running the first half almost a minute per mile slower than the second half. I want to train my legs, my body and my mind to be able to push and accelerate when things get rough. It was perfect. Looking at my splits reveals what I consider to be smart, strong training:
Mile 1: 9:24
Mile 2: 9:27
Mile 3: 9:38
Mile 4: 9:12
Mile 5: 9:20
Mile 6: 9:18
Mile 7: 9:26
Mile 8: 9:14
Mile 9: 9:32
Mile 10: 8:53
Mile 11: 8:42
Mile 12: 8:57
Mile 13: 8:49
Mile 14: 8:51
Mile 15: 8:45
Mile 16: 8:29
Mile 17: 8:33
Mile 18: 8:11
I ran for 2:45:02 and my average pace was 9:02/mile. This run was also about practicing my nutrition and hydration. My stomach is finicky and it has taken me a L O N G time to figure out the best fuel strategy before, during and after my long runs. I eat a mostly vegan diet (occasionally I have fresh fish in the summer and occasionally I eat dairy but I always pay for that) so getting protein can be a struggle for me. My meal the night before has to be plain and simple – Friday night it was pasta with a bit of fresh veggies and not too much of it. I ate a banana in the morning about an hour before my run. During my run I ate every 3 miles – at miles 3, 9 and 15 I ate one Power Gel Blast (raspberry flavor, yum). At miles 6 and 12 I ate an Accel Gel (vanilla and chocolate respectively). I drank water the whole time, keeping my hand held water bottle full, and also at mile 10 I had some sips of orange Gatorade at a water stop. Stomach issues = ZERO. Success!
When I finished this run, I felt like a million bucks and as though I could keep going. I had a serious runner’s high and just felt so happy that I was able to push like that while still having quite a lot of energy in my tank. There are so many factors that can make or break a long run and yesterday everything went perfectly even with crazy heat and humidity. I will NOT forget this run. When I’m running my marathon in a little over two months from now, I will dig back to this 18 miler for encouragement. For a reminder to believe in myself.
Three months ago I was struggling … my lower back went out, my hips were “wonky,” my pelvic floor was weak. Every single run left me feeling exhausted and sore. My body was not doing what I wanted it to do and it was so frustrating because I was working so hard, trying to do all the right things to get stronger. Yesterday I ran more than 18 STRONG miles and today I did another 4 to recover (at a 10:30 pace). I am not hobbling around. I am not achy or sore. My heart is filled with gratitude and I believe I am stronger now than I have ever been in all of my life.
This week I hit a new mileage high of 42 miles. It is a steady climb. One foot in front of the other, I am on my way ….
