going the distance

I had mixed feelings going into this mornings 15 miler. I was excited that I will be running further than ever before but nervous about what that would involve both physically and mentally. The plan was to take it easy and keep a 12-12:30 pace. I created a pace wristband which shows what each mile should be to average a 12:28 mile and finish in 3 hrs 7 minutes. (that just seems like a LONG time to be doing anything let alone running.)

I haven't been listening to music during my marathon training up to this point but since I was running this one alone I decided to load up the iPod with 3+ hrs of music. Thanks to several suggestions from friends I had a nice selection of songs to keep me company.

As for nutrition I usually put 2 scoops of powdered Gatorade Lemon Lime Endurance Pro in my 22 oz water bottle, but this morning I added an extra half scoop. I also packed my usual orange Sports Beans (little side note, I had an open pack of Sports Beans and then opened another pack and poured them on the kitchen table and counted them out before putting them in my pockets... there were 33. A little nod to the rescued miners.. if they can survive what they went thru I can run 15 measly miles.

The morning was a cool 53 degrees and slightly windy. I wore long sleeves and shorts, a good balance. I also wore sunglasses which was a nice wind blocker and shield from bugs. I was pleasantly surprised how nice the glasses felt on my eyes during and after so I think I'll continue to wear them during my long runs and marathon.

As for the actual run the music definitely helped... it was a mental exercise to accept the fact I'm going to be out here for the next 3 hours so I need to just find my groove and enjoy the journey, try not to rush it or think about 15 miles, take it in sections.

I ran a familiar route cutting some corners (skipped the BIG hill) and added mileage here and there and when I got to 8 miles (which was near my car) I headed toward the swamp rabbit trail (asphalt not dirt trail) and just told myself to run 3.5 out and then come back and I'll be done.

Around mile 12.5 I walked for about 2 minutes and had a rough time, I'm pretty sure it was the upcoming invisible barrier and being nervous about busting through the 13.1 zone. I sent my husband a text and said I was at 12.5 miles. He told me I CAN do it and he believed in me.  That was nice. I picked it up and started jogging and knew I was running in the right direction back to the car and I would get there eventually I just needed to keep moving. I wasn't concerned about pace so much anymore at this point knowing I had a little cushion but also I just wanted to finish. And, I confess for the first time I thought "What the F. am I doing? How on earth am I going to run 26.2!?".

But as I sit here in my warm house with a beagle on my lap I'm happy to have run 15 and am already thinking about and looking forward to my next run, 8 miles on Tuesday. I'll finish this darn marathon.

Mile 1: 12:11
Mile 2: 11:57
Mile 3: 12:11
Mile 4: 12:04
Mile 5: 12:20
Mile 6: 12:03
Mile 7: 12:21
Mile 8: 12:19
Mile 9: 13:01
Mile 10: 12:31
Mile 11: 12:33
Mile 12: 13:07
Mile 13: 13:38
Mile 14: 13:34
Mile 15: 12:27

Total Miles: 15
Total Time: 3:08:17
Avg. Mile: 12:33