I'm going to be direct this evening because I've got a lot to say and I'm not feeling terribly poetic. Today was different. I stepped up my game with all kinds of sports nutrition during the run and I could definitely feel a difference in my energy level. I do not believe I would have been able to have finished today had it not been for fueling along the way.
The run was a complete and total bitch. There's a massive rain and wind storm here in NYC and while I was fortunate enough that the storm mostly subsided (just misting and windy) for 2/3 of the run, for the other 1/3, it was pouring on my face and blowing at me so hard I nearly got knocked over more than once. This is what I did to pull off 14 miles, the longest run of my life, and a 2 mile increase versus my last long run two weeks ago in Miami:
Last night I drank a cachaça cocktail and ate carbs and lots of delicious meat. Highly recommend this essential step for solid performance! 3 hours before the run I had Kashi Go Lean cereal, coffee and milk. 1 hour before the run I had a sprouted grain tortilla with honey. 15 minutes before the run I drank a proper shot of espresso coffee with a dash of skim milk.
After mile one I stopped to use the restroom at the Boat House. I made friends with the hand towel attendant who didn't believe me when I said I was out for 14 miles today. She gave me a look like, "You're crazy, lady! It's a storm out there!" In the first hour of running I drank 17 oz (one bottle) of organic sports drink (85 calories, sodium, electrolytes.) At the one-hour mark I consumed one caffeinated gel pack (100 calories, 25 mg caffeine.) After 7 miles I stopped back at the Boat House again and shocked the hand towel attendant when I told her I'd just run 7 miles. What? She was pretty excited and asked if she'd see me next Sunday! I said no, but the Sunday thereafter.
In the second & third hours I consumed another 17 oz bottle of organic sports drink, which I'd squirreled away in some leaves on my first pass by the stretching bridge. At the 2 hour mark I had a second gel pack. After 12.2 miles (two full loops of the Park) I took to the streets and ran in circles around my block until I hit 14.02 miles total, right in front of my building.
My doormen are probably my biggest fans. They saw me the day I moved into my building, heartbroken, destroyed... Then over the last 6 years I've gained weight, had a confusing range of friends and dates stop by, and let my life stand still in a lot of ways. They don't understand my inertia. Now here I am 6 years later, finally meeting (and exceeding) their expectations! If only I'd find a guy they'd like; that seems to be the hardest thing to get their approval on! It's like having 2 dads at the door to greet me when I come home! Thumbs up. Thumbs down. They always have an opinion! But running, they think that's a good thing, without a doubt.
In the elevator on the way up to my apartment, I burst into tears. I simply couldn't believe I'd just run 14 miles. I don't know what it means, like, does this mean I'm going to be able to train far enough along to really run the Marathon? I ran farther today than I'll have to for the Half-Marathon. Does this mean I'll be able to run the Half-Marathon? Logic would say yes, but a race day run is really different from a Sunday training run. At the race, you naturally run faster than you do during training. You don't rest as much. What if I do that and burn myself out? Running 14 miles requires serious strategy and disciplined execution - for me, at least, at my current level of fitness. I can see that if I were in better shape, 14 miles might just be a push and a shove away from 3 miles. But right, now, it's a whole other school of sport.
Once inside my apartment, I cried again and then consumed 15 grams of protein (via a shake, 220 calories), another gel pack, and 2 Advil. Then I jumped into an ice bath (yes, I poured a bag of ice from the deli into an already freezing cold tub) and soaked for 10 minutes. Jaime told me to do this and Jolynn seconded it. I was so cold in that freaking tub - I thought my feet would fall off. I wrapped my head in towels for warmth. Next time, I'm wearing a hat in there! The idea is to do something or other with your muscles. Not really sure what... I could barely walk though when I finished and at the moment, I am in pain, but definitely less debilitated than in the moments right after I stopped moving.
I listened to high energy music the whole way and walked only half of the hills. This is of course a major accomplishment for me since I've been walking all of the hills until now... Jaime told me to "speed walk" the hills because that will allow me to drop my heart rate without losing quite so much time. I found this to be 100% true. Not to say I did it all the time - I still walked many hills.
Speaking of time, mine was 2:51:13, which nets a pace of 12:12. That's :38 seconds faster per mile than I ran the 12 miles in Miami! And Miami was flat, and warm, and easy. I mean, comparatively easy. In Miami, I also ran the last 3.5 miles on a treadmill, where it's so much easier to push yourself to go fast because you're staring at the numbers. So, my run today was a good one. I liked my pace and I liked my fortitude. I wanted to quit starting around the 11th mile - because of the pain; but I focused on 14 and pushed and pushed every minute of the way, especially between 12 and 14, when I felt like my head was dragging around a bag of useless legs and bones beneath it.
Nike+ tells me I burned 1,460 calories during my run. I've consumed 1,020 calories to counterbalance that, including all my sports supplements and food nutrition. I'm completely un-hungry at the moment, as I always am after I've run. Not sure what I'm supposed to do for food tonight but one thing we know for certain - tomorrow I'm going to be a ravenous animal! Better pack enough food for several lunches!
CONGRATS!!!!!!
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