17 mile run

I completed my 17 mile run last night!  I started around 5pm since we helped a friend unpack their moving truck and ended up getting back later than expected.  The run started out really well- I had to hold myself back from running too fast- sometimes a good sign.  I had my phone in a belt on my waist with my Pandora stations- on shuffle at first, then I had to pick a station since it kept playing Christmas music and classical- not appropriate for this run!  The clouds of bugs were the only unfortunate incidences along the run.  I dry-heaved after inhaling one and had to hold my breath and dodge the clouds after that incident.  I HATE running into bugs.  It's the worst when you are breathing hard.

I completed 2 loops of my planned route then it got too dark to be able to see on the dirt trails near the lake so I had to stick to well-lit sidewalks so I wouldn't get abducted.  I'm not even joking about that... I would periodically glance behind me to make sure I wasn't being followed and ran (like I always do) with only one earbud in. The dark slowed me down a little since curbs were tough to gauge their depth and my effort to lift my leg to actually clear the curb increased as well as the run went on.  I had my phone on me so I was occasionally giving updates to Matt about how far along I was and how my run was going.

The run was beautiful in the sunset light.  The sun lit up a field of gold and threw dramatic shadows over the trail from the yellow and red aspen.  The temperature dropped shortly after the sun went down. My upper body was warm enough even though my top was damp from sweat but I was still only wearing my tri shorts.  The only part of my body that was cold were my kneecaps, which became a little painful around mile 13- most likely because of the cold.  Around the same time my legs began to cramp.  My quads and calves were painful with every step on the unforgiving concrete.  Instead of looping back to the car to grab some water to wash down my salt pills, I kept going with 'only a few miles left' and 'only a little longer' repeating in my head. 

Since I didn't really know the layout of the neighborhood I hadn't planned on running around I had to tell my calorie-deprived brain to look at the road signs and remember what streets I was turning on.  Luckily I have a gift for navigating and can usually find my way back from anywhere without too much effort.

I got back to my car with less than a mile left so I ran a little further to make up the distance.  The second I finished all I could think about was taking some salt and figuring out what to do for dinner.  I called Matt and, on my way to Jamba Juice, saw a Cold Stone and decided that was a better idea!  Thai Basil is next door so I was able to get dinner and dessert in one stop- even though the hunger hadn't set in yet, I knew it would soon.

It took a long time to fall asleep last night.  I donned my compression socks and winter running compression tights after my shower.  The tights were a good idea but I found it hard to sleep in them because of the tight elastic band on the stomach.  I ended up taking them off before I FINALLY fell asleep.  Maybe it was the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, or it could have been the dull ache in my legs that prevented me from falling asleep.  Either way, I completed it and broke my mental barrier.  During that last mile I remember asking myself, "Could I do 9.2 more miles on top of this?- Definitely.  Especially if I have spectators ringing cow bells and yelling encouragement.