16 miles

Ran with my group on Sat.  Miko and Monique are the two girls that are at my pace.  I'm proud to run with them because I couldn't keep up with them 9 months ago.  I couldn't even think about running 16 miles at their pace!  Improvement feels good!

The first few miles of our run was tough for me, but the time went fast because we were all talking.  I felt like it was tough to get into the run because after about 3 miles I'm thinking, holy crap, I have 13 more to go!  It's hard to wrap my mind around that!  Then it just got better and better...

I tried taking a bag of gummy bears instead of GU.  It wasn't on purpose.  I was just out of GU's.  It turned out to be a blessing.  I loved the gummy's.  They gave me the energy I needed and they were so much fun to stuff in my mouth--not to mention DELICIOUS!  Way tastier than GU.  Have you ever stuffed 25 to 30 gummy bears in your mouth at once on purpose?  It's awesome!  ha ha.  There was enough in the bag (Haribo) to simulate 3 GU's.  Perfection.

At about mile 10 I was feeling so good.  I really felt the runner's high.  I just felt like going fast.  That is the best feeling.  You feel your energy climbing instead of being sucked out of you.  Those are the times you just go.  I noticed that it was when I put my music on that I felt this energy surge.  I had been talking and thinking the whole time, and once I was feeling my energy dropping more and more, I realized that I needed a pick me up.  Miko turned to me at that moment and said, I'm putting my music on babe!  That was my Que....I put that music on and just reveled in it.  I ran strait up a hill with tons of energy in the sun...yeehaw the runner's high was upon me.  I was a little concerned about offending the girls for running ahead but figured when you gotta go you gotta go.

They kept catching up on the uphill and I would fly down the downs.  It was dumb of me to go so fast, but it just felt so darn good.  Hills are not my strong point.  The last mile Miko past me and I stayed in the zone at her pace and it felt so good because we were so in-sinc as I was following right behind her.  My hips, quads and neck were throbbing at this point.  I just had to hang on for one more mile.  It was sunny hot.  Probably about 80.  I was burning hot and sweating.  We were at 15.  Almost to Carl's Jr. on Washington and Nutmeg...then disaster struck my poor aching bones.  My ipod shuffle, bless it's little heart DIED.  NO MUSIC.  Ugh!!!!

I tried my best to stay with Miko but she picked up her pace and left me behind.  I finished at an 8:59 pace.

8:59.

16 miles.

Better than I've ever done...so it is what it is and I'm very stoked...yes I just said stoked.  I am a product of the awesome 80's after all!

However, I've come to the realization that I'm done doing my long runs fast.  From now on I will hold back until Marathon day.  I've been thinking about it, and I know I can do it.  I no longer need to prove to myself that I can run fast enough.  I now know I can.  I just need to do it.  It will be very hard and very painful, but it is doable in my mind and it is within reach.  I will have to dig deep down inside and be willing to endure what it takes to finish and finish well.  I have the experience and confidence to do it.  That is a lot more than I started with 9 months ago.

Line upon line...here we go