so i didn't get my planned 3 miles in on friday and wondered if adding them to my long run in the morning was going to be physically possible. to reach my 100/200 goal it would be necessary, but would it really be worth it? i thought about it and i planned for it anyway, packing 4 gels and 4 bottles. if by my scheduled 12 i was beat, then i would pack it in. but if i still felt good, i'd see how far i could go.
here's me before my run (about an hour and a half after the time i wanted to get started, but oh well. and my hair was going crazy)
so off i went. i extended my lagoon route to include the roads through the farms surrounding the park, the loop around the lagoon, up mountain lion hill, around another lagoon, and down some paths i'd never run before. i started up a path that was effing steep and about 8 minutes into it realized it was a forever winding uphill to the top. so i decided to save it for another day and made my way down. i had to cover some of the same paths twice, but going in the opposite direction than when i first ran it made for new scenery.
miles 1-3 sucked as usual, due to tightness in my outer left calf, but by three i was loose and the entire rest of my run was honestly freakin' awesome. at mile 11, a guy in a bright yellow shirt rode past me and when he got close i saw that his shirt said "you can do it". i took that as a sign that the 15 was gonna be mine. i was feeling really really good and really strong. my entire run, i was focusing on my posture and arm movement because it helped open up and chest and stretch it out.
not only did i get 15 miles in (my longest run EVER) check out my splits:
1: 12:15
2: 11:09
3: 11:22
4: 11:48
5: 10:59
6: 11:13
7: 11:21
8: 11:47
9: 11:23
10: 11:35
11: 11:21
12: 10:50
13: 11:18
14: 10:33 (jigga what?!)
15: 10:14
T: 2:47:10
um yeah, all under 12 minutes, besides the first. that my friends is a new record for me. could this really be a sign that i am getting better?!
needless to say, i was FREAKIN' ELATED. actually, i still am. i will probably be riding this high until tomorrow.
when i got home i changed into some dry clothes and i about fell over when i caught my reflection. three hours in the sun left me with a heinous sports bra tan and some serious chafing from my fuel belt. it's seriously ghastly. which is why i am sharing even though it is probably the most unflattering picture ever:
i'm hoping the chafing doesn't leave marks because that would be seriously ugly. my old fuel belt used to fit snugly around my hips so i didn't have this problem. but that one got too big and i gave it to a friend. i've tried wearing this fuel belt lower only to have it ride up. my options seem to be to wear a shirt and vaseline the hell out of my middle or try again to wear the fuel belt over my shorts.
looks like march ended on a very high note, with my longest run ever and meeting my 100/200 mile goals. next week the mileage is getting cut drastically, since the last four weeks have been pretty intense. but come april 22, i expect to kick some serious ass and hopefully squeak in a half marathon in 2.5 hours.
have a great weekend, peeps!
19 comments:
heck who cares what you look like bare it all you just ran 15 miles!!!!!!! your splits are AWESOME!!I like that little signal to keep going when you saw that t-shirt, way cool! get some aloe spray and sleep on your tummy! ride the high for longer than "until tomorrow", too LOL this one deserves a longer high
that's awesome and you should be set for your half marathon...take an extra day off that week and your legs will feel great.
Buy BodyGlide - it is in a roll-on deodorant like container and isn't at all greasy. I've never tried to use vaseline, because I think the consistency and greasiness would disturb me, but I do use bodyglide and have very few chafing issues.
Awesome job on the 15 miles! Almost makes me want to get out there and do the same! Hehehe. Nice tan line by the way!
P.S. Question for Ms. Speedy.... --> When you do your long runs like that, do you run straight through or do you allow yourself to take walk breaks??
t-woman: i don't prescribe by the walk break rule. i try to run the entire time. although if for whatever reason i tire or think i need the break, i will walk.
good 15 miler way to go....
Wow, congrats on the 15 miles! That's great motivation for me on my 10 mile long run this afternoon.
The orange juice of beers: priceless.
But FIFTEEN MILES! Holy... wow! That's awesome. And you had fantastic splits. You deserve to have another pint of hef. Put some of that on your fuel belt!
Congrats, also, on meeting your 100/200 mile goals. Isn't it great when you come down to the last couple of days, thinking you'll never make it, and just end up kicking some butt?
And I loved the sign from the T-shirt. It sounds like something I would do! Sometimes you just need that nudge in the right direction.
Way to represent! Get some good rest.
jigga GO GO GO !!
wow those ARE some serious tan lines girlie!!
oh and that hefeweisen is the beer of all runners!! love me some hefeweisen!!
Um, YEAH, you're getting better! For pete's sake, girl, you've been workin' your butt off. Of course you're going to get faster. I think I see the beginnings of a six-pack in your pre-run photo. Congrats on the fabulous run.
I'll bet it didn't feel very good when the water from your post-run shower hit those chafe marks. I recommend Body Glide next time to prevent the chafing. Vaseline just doesn't quite do the trick -- take that from the Queen of Chafing!
LOL!!!! re: your comment, yes, it's true, we would be some pair running together huh?
Yes, yes, buy Bodyglide. Works much better than Vaseline.
And, in light of the Lenten lapse, I think someone not only forgave the transgression but gave His blessing. Those are fabulous mile splits. Ride that high for a long time, girl.
Was a dog chasing you or something at mile 14? This is the second post you have written that shows a correlation of faster pace after having a beer. It must be your carbo fuel of choice!
Keep putting those pictures up and you won't be able to get on American Idol!
I just purchased a Nathan Hydration Unit that you might check out. It's a very comfortable vest with a water bladder. This may be one solution to your chaffing problem. You could also just lube up with some body glide in the problem area and try that. Nothing like the sting that you feel when you jump in the shower when you get chaffing like that.
Good job on running 15 miles.
Body glide is the way to go. My wife sowed about 2 inches in on my fuel belt so that it fits tighter and I don't have the bad chaffing any more.
Speaking of bad catholics, have you ever seen the movie Saint Ralph? I highly recommend it. It's both funny and inspiring.
FABULOUS run, by the way!
Did you apply sunscreen?! Skin cancer is a serious issue for runners.
too cool that you ran that far! you gotta love that sunburn - the photo is hilarious. that guy with the t-shirt sounds like it was meant just for you - funny how if we pay enough attention, sometimes there are messages out there to be heard
Luckily, with our coloring, the tan lines fade fairly soon. I second the vote on body-glide. I had chafing problems too from wearing a fuel belt, which I only wear on runs longer than 11 miles. I usually don't drink beer, but when I do, it's only hefeweizen. Gotta love the orange slice that comes with that beer.
Your post is hilarious! Your times are good too. Before I got a little less dumb, I ran a marathon in a wet spring snowstorm wearing cotton shorts because they had great pockets. As the weight of them being sopping wet pulled them down, I drew the drawstring in tighter and tighter. Four hours later I had a bloody rash around my waist from the chafing that didn't heal for two weeks. My post-race shower was delightful getting water on that scrape; it was the only time after any marathon that anything hurt worse than pulling off the taped-down nip-guards.
My god!!! That Fuel Belt chafing would have had me screaming in the shower!!! I have never worn my Fuel Belt without a shirt or tank top on...I think I would chafe like mo'fo! Like you, I 'outgrew' my first Fuel Belt (I think I lost weight and they stretch out over time). I got a small one that tends to ride up as well, so I occasionally get into that furious fighting match with it trying to shove it down viciously, again and again. It even hits my arms sometimes! Thankfully, once it gets 'worn in' I don't seem to have the problem anymore.
While I still think Fuel Belt is the best product around, I have some complaints- the tops never screw on well (I have leaking issues unless I tighten them very, very hard), the belt does tend to ride, and I occasionally have trouble getting them out in cold weather (numb fingers). Do you find this to the be the case too?
The only chafing I suffer now is the occasional under-the-sports-bra chafing that I get. I used to get them on long runs over 10-13 miles but now that I use Body Glide, it's never an issue.
Anyway, thanks for the all past comments! You seem to be doing great! Keep it up! I was going to run Santa Cruz too but I think I'm going to pass!
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