Tuesday and 18 miles to go

I was supposed to run 18 miles for my marathon training on Sunday. Well if any of you know what it's like around her during this part of the year, you'll know an almost 100 degree day with humidity that's thick enough to drink when you walk outside, isn't an unusual thing. I knew there was no way I would make it that distance when I walked outside at 7:30 in the morning and melted. So I rearranged my melted molecules, went inside and checked the weather for the rest of the week. Monday promised more of the same, yuck, I knew it wouldn't be an option. But true to the freaky weather we get around here, Tuesday promised to be rainy, cool, around 60 degrees, and just perfect for me to run in. I knew I would have to rearrange my work out schedule a bit for the week, but these long runs are so flipping important to my training, I couldn't miss it. Technically it means two long runs in the same week, but oh well. I can't help the weather right?

I ran with my husband which was nice. I love being able to chatter and pass the time. He has the tendency to bolt out of the blocks and push himself to the point of agony with stuff like this. I am always amazed at his accomplishments. Me, I just want to run the 18 miles and do the whole distance, speed is never a factor for me. So we do it my way this time. We walk for five minutes to warm up, then start a very SLOW jog. 12 minute mile slow. I can see him getting a bit itchy, but it's the only way I can do the whole thing. We went through every subdivision, subdivision being built, subdivisions that were just a thought in someones mind for crying out loud. At one point in our run, when we were on a road trying to get back to a neighborhood and the safety of the trails there and this girl almost clipped my husband. He promised me the next time that happened he would throw his water bottle at the car. I secretly hoped someone would come at us again just to see him do it, he was serious!

Miles up to ten were no big deal. I was good. Mile 13, still pretty good, my husband had to point out that just 13 more and we'd have finished a marathon. That didn't comfort me for some strange reason...Here comes mile 14, I am aerobically okay. I can run forever if my heart rate is at 150. Mile 15 I am taking inventory mentally. My legs are starting to cramp and I have like two sips of Accelerade left in my water bottle. Boooo, this is not good. We decide to run to Oasis sports park and get Gatorade, at this point it feels like knives are twisting in my calves and I am dying. So I grab a couple of salt packets, pour them in my mouth, swallow them down with Gatorade, refill my bottles and I am good to go. By the time we reach Hampton Park we are at 16 miles, two more I tell myself, I can do this. We loop around the neighborhood, take a side road and wind up at 18 miles just maybe a tenth of a mile from our house. We walk the rest, Lance Armstrong tells me I just had my longest workout ever, no duh Lance, I was there, I lived it!

Done, I make a glass of chocolate milk, and sit in an cold bath for my legs. Today, they're not so bad although I sound like I have tourettes when I walk down stairs. I do no like that at all. Lucky me, I get to go to running clinic tonight. She promised to do easy on me. I'll probably just have to do 40 hill repeats and a 20 minute threshold run! Hahahaha, Brenda if you're reading this, don't get any ideas from me!