Day 49

My 15 mile run was on the schedule for today and I did it! I was definitely nervous but I have to say, all in all I did a pretty good job of staying calm (mentally). It was one of those things where I just thought, well I have to do this, so why freak out? My stomach, on the other hand, did not stay calm. I definitely made three trips to the bathroom before I got started. I can't even imagine what race day will be like....

Ready to run

Western Washington isn't exactly flat, so I had to be creative in coming up with a place to run. I decided to do my entire run around Green Lake. Green Lake is about a 45 minute drive from my parents' house, and is also only about 2.8 miles around - yes... I ran around it 5+ times. Green Lake is an incredibly popular place - people walk their dogs, run, bike, skateboard, roller blade... but there was another surprise event going on when we got there. A regatta!

Regatta at Green Lake

I thought it would be fun to watch the boats while running around and around, but I never really had a chance. There were too many pedestrians to try to weave in and out of. It was honestly quite annoying, but I suppose there will be 30,000 people running the MCM so I better get used to it... although at least all of those people will be running in the same direction rather than walking with a double-wide stroller talking on their cell phone while their yippy little dog is stretched across the path at the end of its leash. Aaaanyway...

I struggled to find a steady pace at first, but eventually found my rhythm. My mom had a backpack full of water bottles, so I was able to stop and get more water after each lap. Yes, it means I stopped four times, but they were short stops, and I think it is obvious by now that I will not be running straight through without stopping a couple of times. But when I stop, I stop. And I don't start counting milage again until I'm running. So far, no walking... although I don't think that would be such a bad thing either. Ok, back to my run... 

I had a gel pack (Cliff Vanilla - best flavor yet) at 5.5 miles, and felt pretty good until about 8.5 miles... then I started to get that hazy feel in my brain, which I've struggled with in the past. That made me really nervous. I stopped listening to my iPod and really just tried to focus on my body and what was going on around me. It helped for sure. I actually didn't end up putting my headphones in until the last two miles. I had another gel at 10 miles (Cliff Mocha) that had caffeine in it. I don't know if it was the caffeine or passing my Dad (he was walking around the lake), but something gave me a boost. 

10 miles down!

Mile 11 felt tough, but miles 10 and 11 have always felt like my toughest miles during all of my half marathons, so it was probably just mental. When my watch finally read 13.11 I did a fist pump in the air because I was so excited to have passed the half marathon point. Every step after that was the furthest I'd ever been. My pace for the final mile was definitely slower... I couldn't seem to get it faster, but I also wasn't trying to kill myself either. Needless to say, I was totally thrilled when I reached the end. 

I'm psyched! The people behind me think I'm crazy, haha.

Check out those stats!

My goal was to run a 10:30 pace. I'd say I did a pretty good job. :-)

Pretty much as soon as I stopped I realized how much my back hurt. We're talking my entire back... all across my shoulders and clear down into my tailbone. I noticed it was feeling stiff and sore around 9 miles, but wow. I've never been so uncomfortable in that area before. My legs felt pretty good though - a little pain in my left knee, but that's probably normal. After we got in the car, we made a quick stop to Starbucks for my chocolate milk. Sweet sweet recovery. 

Once we were home, I had a much needed shower. My sports bra didn't chafe this time (I wore a different one) but my underwear tag did. I'll figure this out eventually... Then I had an awesome date with the couch for awhile, but I was not a bum all day long. My mom and I spent the afternoon at Ikea! When I go back to work I will be moving offices. I told her I wanted my office to look "clean, modern, and creative" and she helped me pick out some good decorations/organizational thingys. I love Ikea. Especially since they have frozen yogurt that is only 110 calories. Hell yes I had some!

And now I'm off to bed. I imagine I will sleep pretty darn well tonight. Then Andy flies in tomorrow afternoon! Yay!!!

Total Miles Run: 146.41

Total Weight Change: -5.0