as i wok-ed up my fried rice yesterday, i thought to myself, how did i NOT think of this as a pre-long run meal before?! screw the pasta. true greatness lies in thousands of grains of rice. and eggs. a little garlic, and of course, spam.
when i was a wee child of single digit age, as soon as i learned to make rice and scramble eggs, i learned to make fried rice. back then in my mom's kitchen and now in my own, it's the breakfast of champions, and one of the things i use to comfort myself when i'm homesick. now i know it can also fuel a pretty bad ass run.
last week, 13.5 miles literally kicked my ass. i finished it though and on that day that's all that mattered. today i set out on the same trail, not knowing what the heck was gonna happen. the plan was 12 miles. i had 3 flasks of water, 2 gus and a whole lotta time.
i hit play on my nano and got work. the plan was to run 4 miles, slow down to gu, run another 2 miles, turn around and run 2 more, slow down to gu, and run the last 4. i would tackle the hills as they came and worry about the slow descent uphill on the last 6 miles back when i got there.
from the very beginning i knew this run would be different. the first mile just felt better. better than any first mile i have ever run. by mile 4 i still had lots of energy but i gued anyway and polished off one flask of water.
by the second time i gued, i was still feeling good, but by mile 9.5 i could fel my legs start to tire. that's when my body ran on auto pilot. ran just by sheer inertia. and when the hills called my name, i concentrated on my arms to pump me up over the top. and they did. it's amazing what your body can do when you pay attention to good form.
this was by far the smartest run i think i've done. the perfect mix of rest, nutrition, form, and mental fortitude. i ran up every goddamned hill that last week had me panting, had me walking. my spirits were up the entire time beating out any doubt my brain tried to creep in.
my brain let out a great sigh when i saw i had but 2 miles left and after the last hill, i had one mile to go. i slowed down to catch my breath and on the last half mile, i just kicked it. i ran faster and faster, fueled by the adrenaline and the guy next to me racing to the end of the trail as well.
i finished in 137 minutes, my fastest long run pace yet.
when i got home, i collapsed on the floor to stretch. and on tv i found a special on krispy kreme donuts. mmmmm. i even found the energy to do my 8 minute abs DVD, while watching a segment on pork rinds. but i didn't venture anywhere near those delectable treats for my post run snack. cold cold canteloupe fit the bill better. besides i'll be having barbecue and smores tonight.
those who say they don't run to eat are lying. or totally missing out.
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