What: 19-mile training run
Where: Rosslyn/National Mall/Georgetown
When: 5:15am-9:15am
How: 2 miles treadmill at my apartment (5:15am), 10 miles running group (6:10am), 7 miles gym treadmill (8:15).
Fuel: 1/2 cup coffee, 2 mini-cliff bars, 2 electrolyte gummies, 1 Espresso Love gel
Post-run fuel: 1 pack Emergen-C, 2 eggs overeasy with mozzarella cheese, 1 piece of toast w/ jelly, hashbrowns
Breaking it down:
Today was a toughie. All week I’d been thinking about the 19 miles I had to run on Saturday. It was on the brain. I really wish the group runs were on schedule with my marathon but sadly, they are not. Next week, they run an 18-miler but I’m out of town so I had to do it today.
Strategy today was to break it up and it ain’t no thang. So as per usual, I began by eating too much the night before. I mean…hell, I was running 19 miles so what’s 4 pieces of pizza and a huge bowl of Reese Cup ice cream? Sure, right.
So the group was running 10 miles today and I wanted to run with Amy so the alarm went off at 5am sharp. I began with 2 fast miles on the treadmill at the apartment — reading the latest People magazine. Then, I drove to Rosslyn for the 10-miler. Sadly, I had to pee over half the time we were running but I pounded it out. The worst part was finding a row of bright, shiny porta-potties that were all padlocked down!
Today’s pathway was gorgeous. We began over the Key Bridge into Georgetown down the deserted, store-fronted sidewalks. Georgetown is the cutest thing ever — even cuter when 50 million people aren’t storming the sidewalks. Then, somehow, we trailed over to the National Mall and ran around the American-flag adorned Washington Monumnet — a beautiful white shining in the 6:30am sunshine. The hills weren’t fun but my legs felt strong and having someone to talk to makes it so much better.
After the 10 miles, I raced to the bathroom and back to my car to make sure I moved it before 8am. Last week I got a $50 ticket! Then, I drove to the gym, armed with the latest issue of “Glamour” and a plan to run my remaining 7 miles. Taking a break was nice. I drank a lot of water, retied my shoes, got a restroom stop, gulped an Espresso Love gel and hopped on the tread.
All in all, it was not that bad. I felt I could have finished a marathon today if I had to and I came away with a lot of anxiety relieved from the week. My knees are a little sore and my pinky toe is suffering like no other but I feel accomplished.
I’ve stayed so on track with this training that now I’m determined to keep on with it. Saving a Saturday for a 20 mile run is no easy task but I know when I run that marathon on October 15th, it will be worth it. My long runs really give me something to feel positive about every weekend. They fill me up, they make me feel alive, and keep me sane to be honest. When running was just about losing weight and staying thin, it was more of a chore. I hated it. But now it’s different. I love running and I’m really glad I mean that.