20 miles! What more can I say?
I was a little concerned going into my run this weekend because I was still recovering from my rockstar night on Tues/Wed. It is sad how long it takes for my body to recover now that I'm over 30! I got 9 hours of sleep both Wed and Thurs nights, but I decided a super early night was in store for me on Friday. I actually got into bed at 7:15pm. Yes you may call me Grandma - except, even my grandparents stay up later than that! I was asleep by 8pm so I could get up at 5:30am and get to my run site by 6:45.When I woke up I was really feeling good, so I got excited for the big run. I decided to switch to the Salazars permanently and become their pace group leader, since they didn't have an official one. We had 14 people and quite a few of them were visitors. There was a group from the South Bay that kept us in stitches the whole time. I took over my duties as PGL with enthusiasm. I barked out run/walk times, when to eat, when to drink, where the bathrooms were, and acted as speed cop for those who were running too fast. Maybe I should have been a drill sergeant!
We had a 5 mile warm up in the Presidio, winding our way through to the bottom of Golden Gate Bridge and back to camp. Once there we ran through Fisherman's wharf and along the embarcadero to the Ferry Building. We kept running along the water past the Ferry Building, passing under the Bay Bridge and behind SBC Park, until we got to Potrero Hill. Then we turned around and ran back the same way, leaving out the bit in the Presidio. Basically, we ran the first 5 miles and the last 3 miles of the marathon course twice and then threw in some other twists and turns for mileage. We finished in 4hr 45min - a time that had Coach Scott hugging me and telling me that we had the best time of all the groups that day (relative to our pace, etc...)
I was amazed at how good I felt. We added another minute to our mile pace - so we were running 14 minute miles, and we changed our walk/run ratio to 3/2 instead of 3/1. When I first saw the increase in time and ratio I was a little bummed. But then I realized that they aren't training us for speed, they are training us to complete a marathon safely and happily. Also, what am I whining about when that "plan" just allowed me to complete 20 miles. Just 3 1/2 months ago I was happy to complete 3 miles and not want to die.
The best thing was that I actually took advantage of my Saturday. Usually I come home, eat chips and salsa, take a nap, and laze around the rest of the day watching bad TV. I ran errands on my way home. Once I was home and had eaten a burrito the size of my head I went out and ran more errands. Then I came home to sit in an ice bath. Yes, I poured 4 bags of ice into my tub, filled it up with water, and sat in it for 20 minutes. After some ibuprofen and a nap I was ready to go out and kick up my heels. I joined some people in the mission for drinks, shuffleboard, and more yummy Mexican food - and I actually wore heels. I got home at 1:30am in great shape!
I think my body has turned a corner and is finally acquiescing to the fact that I'm going to run this marathon. It has stopped protesting with searing lungs, knives in my shins, and other such complaints. My mind and body are finally in the same place and that feels really good.
posted by Heidi @ 5:43 AM
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