BIG day today!!!!! I ran my LONGEST RUN EVER!!!! 17 miles!!!!! Still trying to wrap my brain around that ....... I tell you, it is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING what the body can be conditioned to do!!!!!! I will break down run in a moment.....
First of all, the only run during the week that I "pre-fuel" for is the Long run, that is, if I will be running over 7-8 miles...... since I am in the middle of marathon training, I am fueling before each LONG run these days! I basically have a bagel with peanut butter spread on top with chopped up bananas 2 hours prior to long run...... yummy!!!
Mother nature was NOT my friend today!!!! Holy cow... it was freaky HOT and HUMID!!!!!! Heat+ Humidity= NOT A GREAT LONG RUN!!! Come on Mother Nature it is DECEMBER for goodness sake!!!!!
The above picture was me at around mile 13.5...... did my best smile while running and taking a selfie.... and no selfie stick available....LOL!!!!!! I was sweating my booty off and the run was kicking my booty too!!!!!!!!! But, at this point, I knew the end was near!!!!!! Plus, taking a selfie while running took my mind off running.... HA! HA! I think I did a jam up job considering I was running while taking the picture and the pic didn't come out blurry ...LOL!!! Yep, total dork here!!!!)
OK, BREAL DOWN OF LONG RUN:
17.02 miles at a 10:12 overall average pace!!
Mile 1- 9:55 (started at 6am.... felt a bit humid)
Mile 2- 9:26
Mile 3- 9:44
Mile 4- 9:41 (Ok, this is when I started to have a mental challenge... my legs felt good, my breathing was good, but my mind set started to deteriorate a little.... I started to think, ok, you are going too fast! It is hot and humid.... you have 13 more miles to go, you have not done this distance before, you have to slow down or you may burn out.... and so I did, I slowed the pace
Mile 5- 10:12
Mile 6- 9:54
Mile 7- 10:26
MIle 8- 9:23
Mile 9- 9:57
Mile 10- 9:12 (was actually feeling pretty good at this point... took a second GU-- the first was taken at mile 5ish)
Mile 11- 10:48 (started to think, only 7 miles more!... slowed the pace... I was sweating like crazy... was hot, but felt good. Didn't want to push it)
Mile 12- 10:10 (still feeling ok.... was happy with my pace, really felt like I was going much slower)
Mile 13-10:38 ( I remember thinking.... I am at a half marathon distance, holy cow.... I am signed up to run double this distance in March!!!! What was I thinking? Will I be able to really do this... maybe I have taken on too much... maybe I need to wait a year... ok, I will take a selfie to get my mind off running.... see pic above...LOL)
Mile 14- 11:07 (felt good, felt some what strong, although I was moving slower)
Mile 15- 10:46 (I was like, ok..... made mile 15! But, with my 2 last 15 mile runs, I felt much better... much stronger... was it the heat today? The humidity?)
Mile 16- 11:21 (Mental challenge started again, started to get self doubt about the Full Marathon that I signed up for in march..... I remember thinking, "Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Then, I corrected this self doubt by remembering that the coach that designed my training plan said I had realistic expectations, and that I should be able to make the 26.2. Plus, I have a lot of motivating friends and people I know who encourage me..... I will look forward)
Mile 17- 10:26 (Started to feel good..... mind set improved.... was able to pick up the pace)
I have to say, NO, I didn't feel as great after this long run like others.... I was a bit queasy feeling, but NOT completely nauseated. My legs felt good though...... and I wasn't totally exhausted. I think the queasiness was from the heat and humidity....... I did hydrate with water and gatorade throughout run, but honestly heat and humidity kills a running mojo!
After showering, I place on my compression hose, these things are on point!!!!! Definitely help the legs not ache so much.... seem to help with recovery for me......
ANOTHER THING THAT HELPS RECOVERY IS STRETCHING!!!
Couple stretches I do that seem to work... at least for me......
Simple Back Stretch......
I found this fabulous article , "Back in Shape" from the Runner's word website about how stretching the lower back will help with tight muscles in the hip and thighs. As the article points out, when we feel tight in our hips and thighs, it is often our back muscles being tight! My recovery has been eased and occurs more quickly due to stretching exercises that I have made routine... especially after running. This is one that I do daily and is so simple...... but so beneficial!!!!
Hip Stretch.....
The hips need to be stretched as well, and I found this video that demonstrates the main hip stretch that I perform after my runs! It is so effective and again, recovery and muscle soreness seems to be quicker......
MAKE TIME TO STRETCH......
Seriously, I know that we are busy, but stretching muscles after running is very important (in my opinion). I always walk after a run and then perform stretches..... I recover faster and a lot of the aches I used to experience in the lower back and hips have seemed to improve and practically disappear!!! But let me skip the stretching, and oh how my body lets me know!!!!!!!
Well, I am off to dinner with the family.... UNTIL LATER......
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How do you pre-fuel prior to long run? Do tell........
How do you conquer mental challenges while running... how do you keep a great mind set to prevent self doubt?....
Stretching help you after long run? Compression selves or socks? Other ways to recover.... Please share!!!