8.7 miles down and a lesson learned

First, Go University of Northern Iowa.  My Hawkeyes are not in the tourny, so I have to root on the team from my home state.  Also Go Big Red (Cornell), Husband's alma mater.  So awesome to have some underdogs in the tournament that I can root for!

Saturday, I ran further than I have ever run in my entire life.; until this point, the furthest I had gone was 6.2 miles and I felt great! .

The weather was perfect Saturday and Sunday (low to mid 70’s, a touch of a breeze and sunny). I did my research and decided I would run the Baltimore Annapolis Trail (it runs from the BWI Trail all the way down to Annapolis—stretches 15.5 miles). Why this trail over the BWI trail? This trail has bathrooms and drinking fountains at various points. Perfect, or so I thought. I hate carrying anything in my hands while I run, and I did not yet have a water belt; water fountains along the run would be an excellent solution. I popped a couple of Advil to help my with my hip and armed with my nifty new iPhone app, I set off for the trail.

I took off at about 10 AM from one of the access points. I started slow, since my run was starting on a pretty steep incline to go to an overpass over the highway. I could feel my hip, but the pain was not unbearable, just there. I found out I could not stride out too much or else the pain became really noticeable.

A mile into the run, I felt great. I was just going at my own pace, people watching with all the bikers, runners and walkers and enjoying the scenery. Mile 2 came and went and felt great too. My new app was giving me pace and time updates every quarter mile and the time was passing quickly. I was looking for the water fountains when I approached the spot and found nothing. Weird, but no matter. A ranger station was about a mile and a half ahead, so I just kept plugging away.

Another overpass came up, so I charged up the hill (as much as my hip would allow for) and was smiling the whole way, knowing how far I had run and that I was approaching my half way point and the ranger station was about a half mile away, so I kept moving.

The ranger station on the trail was about 3.5 miles into my run, so I took a minute to stretch out and head to the water fountains, but was extremely disappointed to see that there was no water running to them. WHAT??? AA County, do you think you could have posted this on your website? The two fountains that should have been on the run were either nonexistent or not operational? I saw a few other runners with the same annoyance and I just headed back to the trail to finish out the last half mile before turning around.

Hitting the 4 mile mark was something incredible. I managed to get there in about 53 minutes, but factoring in a detour on the trail on where I started, I probably ran 4.35 miles. Not a huge deal, but factors into the time and distance. (my one gripe about the app—it stopped running when I got a text message I did not realize for a good 10 minutes—so my additional distances are estimations)

I turned around head back and did some walking/running intervals. About 1:25 into my run, I started to get REALLY jealous of everyone with their water bottles and even the stream I ran over was starting to look good (don’t worry, I didn’t drink from it). I considered just quitting and calling someone to come and get me, but I only had 2 miles left at this point and I could do it!

The last mile of the run was really tough for me. I am sure it stemmed from a combination of dehydration, some pain in my hip and a bit of discouragement, but I finished (walking most of it) that last mile. I managed to get in about 8.7 miles in just under 2 hours (1:58ish). Not the best time, but I really think the dehydration and frustration affected the last half of my run.

So, splits for the run are:
Mile 1 – 12:45
Mile 2 – 13:15
Mile 3 – 13:30
Mile 4 – 13:15
Mile 5 – 13:20
Mile 6 – 13:40
Mile 7 – 14:15
Mile 8 – 14:10
8.0 to 8.7 – 10:15

My car (with two water bottles in it) was such a beautiful site. I guzzled the bottles of water in no time and decided to head into the mall to get another. I also rewarded myself with an Italian Ice (it was so cold and so delicious). As I headed back to my car, I wondered if I should go out and just finish another mile and a half to get 10 miles in, but decided what I had accomplished for the day was enough. I was pleased with what I accomplished and I was pretty giddy and would tell anyone who listened that I ran 8.7 miles that day!

I learned my lesson and went straight to a sporting goods store and bought a water belt. I am sure I will be cursing the extra weight, but it beats what I experienced the last mile of my run.  In addition to learning a lesson, it was  a real confidence booster to have done this run.  Now, I know that that adding another 1.3 miles won't be so bad!

I followed up Saturday’s performance with a 4 mile jog on the same trail, this time with a water bottle. Much happier E at that point! Today, I am walking funny (my hip and my feet are killing me) but I still have a big grin on my face. I think accomplishing my longest run ever this weekend has made me a bit goofy!  I am taking a much deserved (in my eyes) rest day today.

In other news, I think I will be changing the name and address of my blog. I just want something a little more positive and less focused on my weight, so, once I finalize my choice, I will keep you all posted!

Did everyone had a good weekend?  How were your runs?