The extra mile

I set out this morning on a 16 mile run, per my training plan. It was a gorgeous day. I purposely decided a few days ago that I would run on Sunday rather than Saturday because the forecast looked so much better. And it was. The temp was a cool 67 when I headed out at 7 a.m.

I got to use my new hydration pack for the first time. I had one bottle of water and one bottle of sports drink, 3 energy gels in one pouch and my cell phone in the other. The pack took some getting used to. First, with two 21 oz bottles of fluid, it was heavy. Second, I started out with it around my hips. It was bouncing around a lot and kept riding up. After a couple miles, I gave up and just cinched it up tighter and wore it around my waist. It actually felt much better. There was no bounce. The weight was distributed better so it felt lighter. I can't say I loved running with it. But it was sure handy to have my water with me. I passed by my house 8 miles into the run, planning to stop and get more water or leave the pack behind, if necessary. I almost dropped it off, but the option of taking a drink whenever I needed it outweighed the minimal discomfort of wearing the pack. Even carrying 42 oz. of fluids with me, I still stopped to refill my water bottle at a water fountain near mile 11.

All in all, it was an awesome run. I started with an 8 mile loop that was hillier than the routes I usually run. It felt great. And I averaged just under 9:30 per mile, a bit faster than my usual long run pace. Then I headed out to my fall-back route, the figure 8 around Staring Lake and Purgatory Creek. I had found a 16-mile route online; that's where the first half of my run came from. The second half started by heading over to and around Staring Lake, but then finished with the last 4 miles or so along busy roads on exposed (meaning no shade) trails. I thought my standard route was about 8.5 miles, so I decided to run that instead since, except for the last mile, it was all on trails through park land--more scenic and more shade. I didn't think an extra half-mile would be a big deal. I wasn't even positive the route would be more than 8. I realized about 4 or 5 miles in to the second half that it was going to be close to 9, making my total mileage 17. I felt really good right up to about mile 15. While I had been having fun and enjoying the beautiful day, I realized I was slowing down a bit and running with my head down. The last mile and a half was in the sun and the day was getting warmer. I was starting to feel a little nauseous. Once I got a half mile or so from home, I perked up a little and finished strong. I averaged about 10 minute miles the second half.

I had a weird experience when I finally stopped. My muscles were so used to running that my legs kept trying to run. As I lifted my foot, my quads would contract, snapping my foot forward. It was very surreal. I really had to use my brain to overrule my muscles and walk (semi)normally. I'd never had anything like that happen before.

Next up on my training plan: an 18 miler next weekend. After 17 yesterday, it doesn't sound so scary. Just hope my quads are ready.