The 20 miler that wasn't all that

Going in, I knew this notion of a 20 miler after a long day at work in warm temps wasn't going to be the best run (or best idea) ever. But because we're driving five straight hours after work tomorrow night to get to the cabin and the roads are fairly hilly in those parts, there was not another option.

I started off just after 5 pm with my gatorade/water, Clif shot bloks, donning my sunglasses and slathered in sunblock for the 87 deg temps. I chugged away just fine for a while, stopped to stretch around mile 4.5 and kept on chugging. I planned to run along the river because the temps are cooler there. Definitely a smart decision!

Around mile 11, I started to mentally (and physically break down). There were walking breaks here and there when I felt on the verge of throwing up. Soon enough, I was back to my office with 16 miles under my belt. I had 1/2 of a almond butter/jelly english muffin and got my butt moving again.

This time, I headed for the grassy intramural fields across the street where I peeled off my socks and shoes and ran barefoot for 1.5 mi or so to give the bod a little break from the pavement. With wet feet, I shoved the socks and shoes back on and finished another .5 miles and called it a day.

On the drive home, I finished the english muffin and drank a lot of water. When I walked in the door, manfriend had spaghetti ready for me. I promptly headed for the ice cream (and advil), then turned on the cool water for a bath and ate spaghetti in the tub. Classy, eh? I think I'm gonna sleep well tonight.

Miles: 18.5
Time: 2:45
Time spent walking: 5-8 min?
Pace: 8:55 (hard to imagine since a lot of the miles were terribly slow, but I'll take it)

Usually, I force myself to complete whatever mileage it is my schedule dictates. But because of the conditions, I gave myself a pass tonight and I'm glad I did. I could have busted out an ugly 1.5 miles, but it wasn't worth it. Do you listen to your body during your workouts or training OR are you more like me and try to force it to overexertion?

P.S. Hearing all the chatter on the blogs and twitter about the Healthy Living Summit makes me wish I had bit the bullet! While it's kind of nerve racking to think of meeting all these bloggers in person whom I keep up with on a daily basis through the web, I'd love the chance to talk with many of them in person.

Next year, I'm definitely going to do my best to make it happen. I love that it's still small enough to get to know people (with 200 attendees) and not crazy huge like BlogHer! Good luck to DOTR who has a little speaking to do at the HLS!

Comments

Emily said…
I totally listen to my body. Cutting out 1.5 miles sounds like it was the right decision. I've butchered many more miles than that off my long runs before. Way to persevere and still get in a great long run before a weekend away!
Gracie said…
Good job, you smoked me... I had a rough 20 miler. Lots of bad ideas rolled into one (hungry, post work, pouring rain, new route) :)
Amber said…
Good job pushing through 18.5 miles in that heat and AFTER work! You freaking rock!!
siri said…
I love the image of you eating your pasta in the tub. Hilarious!
Anonymous said…
No shame in bathtub eating - OR in listening to the Bod for a little break on the mileage ;) I've been there, too.

Thanks for the Shoutout! Wish you had been there, too!

How'd the post run sleep go??
Awesome job! I like the ice cream and Advil combo followed by dinner in the tub... :-)
DOTR- sleeping after the run went surprisingly well. I didn't get to bed too late (11ish) and I'd finished my run around 830 so I had some time to calm down from it. The beer manfriend handed me probably helped as well. :)
Anonymous said…
Ha! well, the 8:30 finish was definitely smarter on your part (vs my 9:30). The beer? *that's* definitely what was missing from my equation ;) Perfect.

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