short version: last night i ran 7 miles in an hour. this morning i ran 13 more miles in 2 hours. guys, i think i can run a marathon.
(you can just do a little dance for me now and move on, or you can read all the blather.)
long version:
after last night's success (see last post), i tried to go to bed early (ha! look, i got into bed at midnight, that's what i managed) i got up at 6:30am (dog thought i had lost it), had coffee and new breakfast, and got ready. the weather was pretty cool, actually, there was some sort of sunlight even (once the sun bothered to get UP, ugh), and it didn't rain (spit, more like) till the last couple miles.
i think i succeeded at eating quite a lot but not too much and not too fatty last night, because this morning i only had to eat a piece of bread and a half a banana with peanut butter. this was in part practice for the marathon, because i don't want to have to mess around in a hotel room with kettles and oatmeal on the morning (middle of night) of the main event. and this worked fantastic! i brought a couple figs to eat half an hour before we started, and i ate a package of stinger chews throughout. ok, so energy success. (i have this idea that i'm going to bring salted mini pretzels on my next two long runs to see if they help with cramps -- some people online say it worked for them. may just be an excuse to eat pretzels, but i can sure see not wanting to just eat sugar for four hours.)
overall, it all went ticketyboo. the course was pretty chill -- mostly paved trails, pretty damn flat, some pretty low-key but sweet cheering, and quite a few aid stations with volunteers who weren't exactly organized but still gave us the desired liquids. my running partner and i were together for the first 10 miles, after which i turned on my music and we picked up the pace slightly, and she finished about 5 seconds ahead of me. we both had reasons to take it easy (uh, did i mention she needs gallbladder surgery? but, you know, first a little half-marathon. STERN STUFF.) so we started just in front of the 10:00/mile pacer, but mostly we ran behind the 9:30 pacers, and after 10 miles we moved ahead. our final time was probably 2:05, which is 9 minutes slower than two years ago but quite a success in the present state!
i was definitely putting on the brakes for the first three miles, and i was definitely working for the last three. my legs were certainly more tired at 7 miles than normal, but starting with the 16 mile cramp-tacular last sunday, i'd run 35 miles in the last 7 days before this race, so i'm gonna feel good about that. i'm also SO COMFORTED by the fact that my left hamstring felt nearly no different than my right, and that finally i felt like my stride was back to a place where my quads can do the work i want them to -- somehow since i hurt myself it's always been the back of my legs feeling it, and the front of my legs never felt like got their turn. today, they got sore too. this is what it's come to: i'm so pleased to have feel sore differently.
oh, yes! and the beer tent. i had half a beer, preceded by a full pint of alcoholic cider (don't worry, i had food too) and hung out stretching and blathering with my running partner for an hour, wearing some comical attire (hot magenta argyle compression socks. were on my body. and yet, she talked to me.) ... and you know, with a little bit of foam rolling tonight, i don't even think i'll have any problem cross training tomorrow.
the take home message here: it's been pretty much two solid weeks of physically encouraging signs. and now when i sat down to write this post i realized something in earnest that i had semi-realized in the shower earlier: i now think i can actually run this marathon. this may be the first time i've really believed it to be possible.
to which my head immediately yells: HUSH UP, CAPTAIN JACKASS! DON'T JINX IT!
so, ok. no getting greedy with the training or stupid with the form or sloppy with the sleep schedule or whatever. and probably, what i need to do mostly is not let my worried mind crap all over what my stubborn body can in fact do (this is the kind of eloquent training mantra you come here to read, i am sure. new side career as inspirational poster motto writer, here i come.) it still might go to hell, but no use stressing over hellish possibilities. just gonna eat some coconut curry and keep saying nice stuff to myself.
next week's long run is 15 miles, and the week after is the second 20-miler, which this time i will do all in one go. by which time i may not even be able to shut up the belief that is happening.
... five weeks to go.
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