week 7, defeating new odds!

this week i ran more than i ever have in my life! my long run this week was 15.25 miles, more on that below...

WEEK 7, RUN 1
the usual 3 miles; outside, after a day of work at family court; kind of exhausted but also, exhilierating; gorgeous day, crispy at first, cool, sunny...

WEEK 7, RUN 2
wednesday training run! meet with the team, this time its ladder-runs around the bridal path by the reservoir; it feels slow and boring, but the pick ups are good. still, 3rd time around, over 5 miles, and im done. we have the option to run around one more time, and its not like i have a pressing dinner date to get to (well, not this week anyway), but i cant quite force myself to go it again - boring!

WEEK 7, RUN 3
i'm having a hard time waking up in the morning... and also have oddly increased my sodium intake by about 100%, thus waking up (eventually) very thirsty. nonetheless, i take the 3 miles at the gym; first time there in a while, so at least that feels like im accomplishing something!

WEEK 7, RUN 4
15.25 miles, yes! you heard right. this time, we didnt go crazy the night before, but i still woke up too late for comfort in prep for an august run-- 8.15 -- and i really just wanted to keep sleeping. ah well. once i was actually out of bed, i felt fine - bathroom, water, banana with peanut butter; fill up the camelbak; stuff the Gu in the pockets (vanilla and strawberry banana); grease it up with the glide gel, and OUT the door! it was.... humid. hot. sunny. really, a gorgeous day, but oh was it hot out there. i ran eastbound on route 25, up to orient state park; down the road there (2 miles out, 2 back), lovely road, lovely water on both sides, the reeds to the right, the ponds or marshes, the ocean to my left; thankfully there was a public rest area in the park where i chugged a ton of water before heading back -- i was truly worried my camelbak wouldnt get me the whole way due to the heat; i could feel the thirst and the feeling in my throat, but thankfully, it passed. vanilla gu at mile 7, strawberry banana at 12. legs kind of like slugs, dragging along, although when i have only 1.5 more to go, i am reenergized-- start blasting off, picking up speed, after a loop through ton, i run westbound on 25, past latham farm stand, then eventually turn around. like the repeat drills where we stretch out the muscles, keep legs even, strides neutral. feeling pretty excellent at the end. muscle recovery drink - success! soy milk with strawberry syrup.... mmm.

i really didnt know what to think when the run started: i thought, i dont have to do this... i thought, i can just run 10 miles.... i thought, why am i doing this? and then, i just stopped, and i did it. i pushed past that warm up cranky feeling, i kept going even though i was thirsty and hot, and when i surpassed 13.1, i felt... well, fine. sure my legs were tight, my eyes stinging with sweat, but wow, the feeling when i hit 14 miles. i started to choke up, picturing the marathon, picturing the crowds, the feeling of accomplishment, the pushing, the pushing, the pushing, and the saying, see? i told you so.