December 27 - TWENTY THREE MILES!

Twenty three miles...this one deserves a sit.

Up at 3:50 on very little sleep (I hate you upstairs neighbors!), downed two pieces of peanut butter toast w/ a banana and 16.9 oz of water. I usually am able to "go" (sorry.) before these runs, but today I wasn't and I was scared if that would adversely effect my run. When Laura picked me up at 5, we both looked at each other and were not really into the idea of embarking on a 23 mile journey. Oh well. We got to the Rail Trail early, and I was lucky enough to borrow someone's flashlight and squat quickly in the port-o-potty. We were off at 6 a.m. and it was foggy and humid, around 65 degrees. Headlamps and blinking red and blue lights led the way. The first few miles you couldn't see the mile markings which was actually nice. By the time it was light enough to see we'd gotten to mile 4, and at mile 6 the group stopped to use the restroom. I made it all five hours with no bathroom stops. Around mile 7 my IT band just outside my right knee began to twinge. I stopped to stretch it and it got better. I had a banana Hammergel at mile 8 with some Powerade. I had tried a new way of carrying my fuel today. I pinned one gel to the outside of my shorts and one to the other. It worked really well. I only carried one in my trusty plastic bag which also contained kleenex ("just in case"), band-aids, vaseline, and an extra hair tie. At mile 10 I knew we had just 1.5 more to go before we'd turn around. The half mark came, we turned, and headed back - smiles all around. Around mile 15 my left upper calf just below my knee was stiff and sore. The bottom outside of my left foot was also beginning to hurt. Laura wasn't having a good run and was mentally trying to push past it. I kept telling her...9 more miles...then it became 7 more miles...then soon it was 4...and 3 ("anyone can do THREE!") then two ("TWO! TWO MORE!") and finally 1.5 then 1. It's amazing how slow it feels sometimes but yet you just keep moving and keep those legs going. Tried a new flavor Hammergel - raspberry - around mile 16. The walk breaks are nice but it's hard to get moving again. Our group was smaller since some people did the Jacksonville Bank Marathon last Sunday. Everyone is friendly and chatty, we exchange humorous stories and make the best of the time outdoors we spend together. We even spotted a crazy red and yellow snake today. And towards the end I just kept telling myself we were almost there..almost. Finally after the last water and Powerade station at mile 21 it was the homestretch. We got to the end and I jogged the rest, then had two cups of cold orange flavored Endurox and sat and stretched. Rachel, who ran with group 2, limped over and joined Laura and I on the grass. It felt so nice to sit and be done.