Hard & Slow 16 Miles but a PR!

Hhmmm. I want to keep this short but can I?

Since I ran 20 last week I wanted to taper back my long run this week. So I opted for 16 although I constantly dreamed about doing just 13 once I was out there and really the thoughts of pessimism and ending early entered my thoughts. But I tend to only end runs when I really feel like I just can't or shouldn't push through. Today I would push through. I believe 3-4 weeks ago when I went this distance I quit half way through and post-poned my run for 5 days later and I felt so different/amazing that the run was all around perfect.

Today will just go down as a "Run done" and leave it that.

Whitney fell ill and came home from school fatigued, ill and went straight to bed- she crashed later that evening in my bed (infecting my bedding etc, lol) so I had to sleep on the couch- and UM- THAT SUCKED! I did some arm exercises as I rested my legs but sleeping on the couch is so uncomfy for my upper body- so I tossed around alot. bottom line I slept like crap and felt like crud. But I'm a Mommy before a Runner and I suppose I took that one for her- I let her have comfort in my bed - so I sacrificed :)

Fueled great before the run- Wanted to go with a progressive 16 miler which just means I wanted to build up my speed and hit all my splits- aiming for half marathon pace (8:30) and sustain for 16.

After mile one coming in around 9min pace- I was able to warm up and hit my 8:30 pace for the next 5 miles but gradually started to fall back with my pace - Head Wind from the west- some incline to my route and thrown into a 9:45 pace and just killing my energy to push through- I just went with it.

Mile 8.5 I looped back home- had 10oz electrolytes and Gu for energy-

Mile 10- I'm started to really feel like crap- my legs are starting to ache- my energy despite the fluids/gu was sinking

Mile 12- passed some hills and desperate to keep some sort of pace- I was just not feeling good

Mile 14- I'm really starting to fall apart- my energy in the toilet- I kept thinking about how I ate this morning- I hydrated well yesterday- I ate sort of low cals yesterday but still well enough to sustain me- I had intake during my run why am I feeling like this?

Mile 15-16- I'm running on pure HEART here. I was finally at the lake- had to run 1/2 mile out to the end of the pier and back to finish up this shizzy run. I actually stopped at the pier- Collected my thoughts and yelled at myself to push through. So I did and was it ever hard- I wanted to literally barf the entire mile- I almost felt like I was going to pass out. Ugh.

Why the shizzy nizzy run ?

• Factually in a 7 day period from Last Friday till Today - Thursday and this 16 I have ran 56 Miles!!! WOW- PERSONAL BEST and I'm CLAIMING IT BABY! No wonder- I'm tired, tapped and running on empty! I'm calorie cutting- cross training- lifting and doing all this other stuff in my life and still managed to keep running the miles! I'm actually really proud of myself for enduring the tough 16 and Not Quitting! Pushing through!
• Starting to hit the warm weather again- 70 degrees by the time I finished my run- last weeks' 20 miler was only 50! so much easier to run and keep water in the body when it's not so warm!
• Head Wind, Hills, Calorie Cutting

16 miles in 2:31 (9:26 pace) I can still be proud of that :) Slower than last week's 20 miler that I was able to do in 8:59 miles but never are two runs ever the same!


Do you ever have tough runs?