21 Strong

This past Saturday I ran my longest-long run in 10 months, 21 miles.

The night before, I was nervous and worried about the outcome of my run. What about my knee? Did I even remember what to do? How to prepare?

After completing Goofy’s Challenge in January of 2013, I swore off all full marathons for a year. I felt burnt out and wanted to enjoy my long runs of 8, 10, or 12 miles and the occasional Half Marathon. I had no desire to run a 16, 18, or 21 mile training run and determined I wouldn’t even think of a full marathon again until the Fall 2014 season.

I should have known better. Sometime in November, the bug bit me…and…well, here I am!

Saturday morning was a cold one (don’t laugh, in Southwest Louisiana, this is COLD for us)!

For Saturday long runs, our running group coach sets up various routes throughout the area in 5 or 6 mile loops (complete with a few water/gatorade stops). Each Saturday, we run a route that corresponds with our set mileage for the day.

I arrived at our starting location about half an hour early to run 3 miles on my own - my Houston marathon friends were in taper mode and had 8 miles on their schedule. My plan was to have 11 miles under my belt by the time I finished with my friends, halfway finished.

What I didn’t expect was running mostly alone in the dark. FREAKY!  My overactive imagination was pretty sure it heard footsteps behind me several times. Needless to say, the first three miles held a fairly quick pace for me and thankfully, I made it back unharmed….no one was following me, either. Whew.

I was so freaked out after my three mile jaunt, I took off my jacket and completely forgot about the GU in my jacket pocket – wuhhoh.

After meeting up with my friends Heather and Erin, we began our run and were almost finished when the sun began to rise!

Such a beautiful site!

What I didn’t realize was the distance we covered until it was almost too late – somehow we got off track and instead of finishing at 11, we were closer to 13. (Just means less miles for me.)

I was also surprised at how good I felt without having taken a GU, but I worried it would come back to bite me later. (I finally took one at mile 13, then again at mile 17.)

After telling my friends goodbye, I continued on my journey alone – just 8 more miles and I would be finished.

Sometime around mile 16.6 miles, I ran into a few friends who were also running 21 miles that day. They just so happened to be at 16.6 miles, too! (What are the odds? I couldn’t believe it!) They invited me to join them for the remainder of the run, so I did! Scott was my Goofy/Dumbo buddy last year and we had a great time talking about all things runDisney!

Around 20 miles-ish, my knee started hurting me even though I was wearing my brace and had reapplied Atomic Balm. I knew I had to slow down, so I told my friends to finish ahead of me and I walked a good portion of the last mile back to the finishing area. I was glad my knee decided to wait until the end of my run to act silly rather than the beginning. Now that my mileage is dropping off significantly, I think my knee will be ok for New Orleans – I’m not worried about it, at least.

Another 21 miles for the books! I felt strong throughout the entire run and I know I’m ready for New Orleans.

After our run, we were greeted back at home base with a 21 mile medal, delicious cookies, and hot chocolate. I sat a while and talked with my friends/coaches, then decided it was time for breakfast!

I hit up my usual Panera favorite and enjoyed a egg/bacon/cheese bagel with a coffee as a post-run breakfast treat.

Once I made it back home, I showered then put on my compression tights.  After attempting a nap, I decided my legs ached too much for sleep. By the end of the night, they felt much better – I think the combination of moving around and wearing compression tights really helped.

Here’s the sappy part – I am so incredibly grateful for my running group, the support system we have built up, and my awesome coaches who are always there for advice and guidance. Without my running group, I don’t know if I would have continued on this running journey alone. I strongly encourage anyone who is beginning a running journey to check out area running groups. Their support is truly invaluable!

What’s your favorite way to recover from a long run? Any tips/tricks you’ve discovered over the years?