Standing on my precious feet for 3+ hours in a smoky bar is not the ideal way to spend the night before a long run. Not to mention, somebody sprayed pepper spray in the bar and I nearly coughed up a lung trying to escape. But hey, it was St. Patrick's Day and I was enjoying my position as designated driver for my friend Jessi. With 14 miles looming ahead of me on Saturday morning, I knew I had to be responsible, limit myself to two beers early in the evening and get to bed at a semi-decent time. So we left the bars midway through the second half of the KU game and got home in time to see Bradley send the Jayhawks packing their bags. Fantastic!
Note to self: in the future, do not plan to be up by 5:15 unless you go to bed before 11:00. Well, somehow my alarm didn't go off and I woke up at 6:30. Great, i'm half an hour late for the start with the team and I still need to eat a Powerbar and let it settle. Luckily, those Powerbars seem to understand my body by now and I didn't have any trouble with an upset stomach. I arrived at the park around 7:00 and thankfully there were two alumni there to tell me which running route to take. So, I headed off into the unknown by my lonesome....just me and my ipod to keep me company. It was nice to at least encounter fellow team members along the way. I did enjoy running at my own pace, so the 14 miles weren't bad at all. I think my ipod thought differently, 14 miles?!?! are you kidding me? no way, i'm too tired for that, and the battery died at mile 9. After that, I just figured I might as well get this run over with and picked up the pace. Miles 9-11 clocked in at a 8:45 pace. Probably a bad idea. Stopped at mile 11 for some more GU and my legs were very reluctant to move. Just 3 more miles.
They finally got back to rhythm and I finished my first half marathon in 2:05, with no hoopla or fanfare or anybody else within sight. I just ran a HALF MARATHON!!! That felt incredibly great, and i finished my 14.15 miles in 2 hours 15 minutes. Anticipating how angry and confused my legs would be the rest of the weekend following my longest run ever, I stopped at the QT and picked up 3 bags of ice. I'm sure I looked a little weird, considering it was trying to snow outside. But that was probably the best ice bath I've ever had. 14 minutes immersed in icy water with a mug of hot cocoa and some Van Morrison playing in the background, I was actually sad when the ice was all melted and I had to get out.
2 comments:
Congrats on your run. Nothing better then running farther then you ever have before. I have to hand it to your for the ice-bath thing. That's something I just could never bring myself to do. Maybe a minute or two for an ankle but that is all I could ever muster.
nice job! especially the dedication to go out there on your own when you could have just slept in and done it later. well done!
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