Running.

Ran 16+ miles last night. May I say, um, OW!? Okay, now that that's out of the way.....

It was a slow run. I started out around 6:15 p.m., which was an hour later than I wanted to, but it was so bloody hot at 5 that I couldn't face it. So.

I have new insoles in my shoes, which helped with my suppination, but I think they overcorrected on my left foot. The inside ankle, arch and ball of my foot all started aching like mad around Mile 10. They still are hella tender this morning, to the point of me not changing out of my biking shoes at work (I normally switch to dressier heels for the office). And my right knee is incredibly sore. And my boobs hurt. I'm just a mess.

I ran most of the 16 miles. There were a couple minute-long stretching sessions, and I walked/ran Mile 15 and on. Okay, mostly walked. I was in pretty serious pain at that point, which worries me. I know running on my own is incredibly different from race day, but yipes.

Things to remember for my next long run:

More water. And fluid-replacement drinks.
CLIF Shots are manna from heaven. Get more. Use more.
Take ibuprofen BEFORE you go running.
Eat more before your run. Even a second Luna Bar would have helped.

This weekend is 20 miles. I think I will attempt to bribe someone to meet up with me every 45 minutes or so for water and CLIF shots. Maybe someone who feels like biking. My other option is to run more loops and park my car at one end of the loop, so I can pause there.

Seriously, those CLIF shots? Faboo. Pure sucrose (with added nutrients, of course), but they get the job done and done well. Next time, I'm trying the ones with caffeine. However, the instructions tell you to eat one 30 minutes before activity, two or three for every hour of activity, and then one within 45 minutes of ending activity. Dude. My teeth would fall out if I did that. One per hour should do me. I hope.

(I'm not really a brand-loyal type of person, but I am truly impressed with the CLIF products. Just so's y'all know.)



M minus 41 days. I'm planning to be in under 5 hours. I'm hoping to be in under 4:40.

Meep.

Quizzes and weekend stuff.....

( Quizzes.... )

Weekend - it was good.

Friday - Ran fartleks - 5 miles. Met Zach for dinner, after which we went to the opening of The House Of Yes. Quite enjoyable. We then snuck into a nearby theater's benefit night so we could hear Sally sing. Damn, she's good. After that, cast party with many lovely people. That was a lot of fun.

It's hard being "just friends" with Zach, because we still have such a strong connection. Necessary for now, though. Sigh.

Saturday - Slept and ran errands. Helped Zach move the cats over to his new place, and then hung out, ate pizza, talked, and played Trivial Pursuit. Zach was very sweet and played two pies at once, being able to move forward only if he answered both questions correctly. It's the only way I have a shot in hell of keeping up with him, and it was kind of him to do that. I even won! Second time ever!

Sunday - Slept, ran more errands, got insanely frustrated by the idiocy in one store, and ran 16+ miles. Staggered home, went to karaoke for a bit, left early and conked. Hard. But I got up early enough to do yoga and get into work by 7. Go Team Me.

Oh, also - got the call that I did not get cast in Miss Julie. No great loss for me. All I wanted was a callback, and I got that.....


Today - Work. Interview for volunteering to read to blind people. Yoga. Weight-lifting. Cleaning house. Whee......

So exciting....

I haven't had this much fun shopping online since I bought a tiara. And this is only for LUNA bars and CLIF shots. Silly girl. perfeti and I are going halfsies on a box of CLIF shots. We searched for a store that sold them downtown in vain today, so we ordered from the website. Why not?

Really, I can't overemphasise how much difference that little packet of goo made in my run yesterday. More than my electrolyte drink, more than the energy bar I had right before running. It was fabulous. Of course, it burns off quickly because it's pure sucrose, but it was still a great feeling.



Yes, I'm obsessing. So much so that I'm seriously considering the L.A. Marathon. March 7, 2004. Only a 5 month break, but I could do it. If I don't do that one, I'll do Grandma's Marathon next June. My grandmother wants me to come up and run the Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks. Not bloody likely. Here's the topo of the race - note the elevations. Um, no.

But if I did the L.A. 'thon, then I could do the Seattle Marathon in the same year....

I'll run a marathon before I'm 30. That was one of my goals. My new goal? Run the Boston Marathon before I'm 40. Which means I have to run 26.2 miles in under 3:40. Which means I have to shave off 2 minutes per mile. I can do that.


Yes, I still have to finish my very first one. Damned reality.

Even through the pain, I still like running. It's not as easy for me as biking, which allows part of my brain to really think. It takes a great effort of will to keep moving, keep running, which only allows for flashes of thought or earworms to get through. But the victory over my innate laziness is a heady feeling.

Right. Time to limp home....


edit: From the Seattle Marathon site:

Did you know...
Our Marathon is 26.2 miles, and our half marathon is 13.1 miles. Yes. We still get asked.