18 Miles...done!

Subtitle: I Get By With a Little Help from My Friends

Yesterday (Sunday)I did my long run "off-site" from my beloved Chicago lakefront. I was already planning to visit someone just a short drive away, and in complete support of my need to get in this long run, they devised an awesome 18-mile route for me! How sweet is that? This same friend also picked up some GU for me. And Gatorade. A girl could get used to that, eh?

So here's the breakdown of my 18 miles:

The run started out overcast and seemed almost perfect, or maybe just a bit humid.

Mile 1 10:36

Mile 2 10:26

Mile 3 10:47

In a little bit of a funk for some reason, felt like I couldn't get it together. Maybe it was the random hills on the route. Illinois flatlands version of hills, not real hills, I suppose. This is when it started to sprinkle a little bit.

Mile 4 11:16

Mile 5 11:02

GU time. It was delicious, too.

Mile 6 11:17

Around this time it started to rain harder, and it was really refreshing. I entered into a really nice park where there were quite a few other runners. The 2-mile loop went along an Illinois prairie restoration area that I could easily run on every day.

Mile 7 10:37 An Eminem-inspired mile.

Mile 8 11:26

Around the end of mile 8, my friend met me by bike with Gatorade and GU. It was raining harder now, so that makes that nice gesture even better, right? So I put the music away and dig this...said friend rode with me THE ENTIRE REST OF MY RUN! WHAT?! How awesome is THAT? I kept watching and thinking of how grateful I was for the company and the support. I haven't had a lot of support at home over the years, so seeing the exact opposite of that kinda blows my mind. "blows my mind" is a really lame, old term, but adequate for how I felt.

Mile 9 11:59

Mile 10 11:50

GU time. More deliciousness. Well...delicious as delicious could be out of flavorless goop in a packet Mile 11 13:35

Here's where things got tough for me. I really struggled for the remaining miles with a lot of self doubt--especially the last 4. My chest felt tight, also. Not like heart attack tight, but definitely asthma tight..or hyperventilating tight, HA! My every-2-mile Gatorade walking breaks got longer. My last GU break was stretched out. I was kinda mad. Mad that I was tired. Mad that I felt like I couldn't finish. I banished my bike-riding "coach" up ahead a few yards for a bit. I messed around with my iPhone, listening to music for a mile or so. But never could get back into a good pace.

Mile 12 12:11

Mile 13 12:25

Mile 14 12:17

As the rain stopped, it seemed to get really humid. I'm not sure if it actually was, but I was feeling HORRIBLE.

Mile 15 12:38

Mile 16 13:28

Near tears. That deadly thinking of "if I can't run THIS, how on earth can I run the marathon?!?!" popped into my head several times. On the bright side, I didn't hear that voice say even once that "you're not a runner." Progress, even in baby steps, is good.

Mile 17 12:47

Mile 18 12:24

Total: 3:33:03, pace 11:53. I guess that's fine, but not happy with the end of the run. I was in a funk that I couldn't seem to get out of. I don't like that Miles 11 through 18 were all over 12:00! That's not so great. Clearly I'm still having trouble with the concept of pacing at a solid rate throughout.

And as if my accompanied run wasn't enough....today they sent a text to me: "Be not afraid of going slowly, be only afraid of standing still."

Thanks! I needed that. My quads and knees were pretty sore yesterday, but I'm feeling pretty well recovered today, another assurance that my training really is pretty on-point. And on that note...DUDE...I just ran 18 miles!!