17 miles.....

You wouldn't think that running 17 miles would be that much harder then running 15, but it is!!!!!!
I even set out thinking I'd shoot for 18! Thats what feeling cocky gets you.

Blessed with another amazingly beautiful morning and my 12 yr old running buddy by my side, I set out.

Last night I had salmon and a heaping side of brown rice. Healthy, yes, but I began to have my doubts as to weather it would feed my muscles with glycogen( I've been doing some reading) they same way white pasta does.
I think the doubt was enough to start a creeping feeling that I was running low on energy. I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast and burped peanut tbutter for the next two hours.

According to the book I'm currently reading, Marathon, the Ultimate training guide, my body takes 3-4 hours to digest my breakfast. Experienced marathoners will get up extra early to make sure they have time to digest before the race. Hmmmm. Probably explains my burping, but hardly how eating a high carbo loaded bar at mile 8 helps me through the rest of the miles..... I'm clearly missing something.

I drink a lot during my run. A combination of water mixed with Gatorade. I find Gatorade straight to be too sweet. The book also talks a lot about gels and such. Stating that in liquid form my body will be able to "get to" the energy more quickly then if it had to digest it. Of course staying hydrated keeps the energy up too. I'm still working on the balance of drinking enough to stay hydrated with too much that I have to pee constantly. It is a fine line and when you add the weather it just isn't an exact science. The training runs are as much about building strength and endurance as they are experiments to see what works best to make my body perform its best. Information helps, but truly experience is best. What works for me doesn't necessarily work for you.
It is truly interesting if I can remain unconfused.

For my readers( yeah, cuz I have so many) that are fans of high-protein diets, well the book addresses that too, and since the author has been running marathons for years as well as training people to run marathons, well, I'm gonna stick with his theory that carbs are good. And high-carb meals the night before a long run are very gooooooood:-)! Maybe when I get a couple of marathons under my belt I'll experiment, but not for this one!

Anyhow, 17 miles.....
Its long and its hard. I'm not sure what I expect from this point on. Pain, I guess. Yep, got that.
I could finish it and I did. Stopping before I'm home doesn't feel like an option. Its not that I can't breathe anymore or that my legs turn to jello. Its that every other part of my body just hurts. My knee throbs and threatens with every step to not bend anymore. My feet, straight out to my toes, scream at me to stop. The arches cramp. My right upper back feels like it has a hole burning through it. My left shin starts to speak up subtly. Even my right elbow twinges and sends little nerve twinges out to my fingers!
I feel these things with each step. The pain almost becomes rhythmic. I expect it and brace for it. The focus comes off of running and more about the pain. Oh, the joy!
And then, I'm done. I'm home. I wish I could say the pain stopped as soon as I finished, it doesn't, but it does taper off a little as I cool down. Ultimately, I'm left tired and a little sore. Oh, and I feel like I'm gonna puke!
Now, if that doesn't make you want to run out and sign up for a marathon....... :-)

PS: I got some flack about my comments regarding the condition of my legs last week and I'd like to point out that I said "I've accepted" the shape of my legs. I have no ill feeling towards them.
Years ago I read a quote from Jackie Joyner- Kersee. It was something to the effect that she knows she will never have waifer like model legs , but she would always be proud of how strong they were.
I am thankful for my legs. I am thankful that they helped me run 17 miles today.

Isaiah 40:31
They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles: they shall run and not be weary: they shall walk and not faint.
This is my verse today, tomorrow and race day!
Thanks for loving, giving, and praying!