The Long Run of Emotional Recovery

I originally had this run posted under my Ragnar Relay Training Diary but it was eventful enough for an entire post.

Saturday was a very emotional day and I had to get out the door to run it off. I had planned a 10 mile run. The schedule says 12 miles but last week I only managed 8 miles in The Run (Walk) of Mishaps so I planned 10 miles.

I started up county road 105. The run started out great. I am starting not to have to push so hard to get through the first few miles. It all feels good. I detoured up Camp Rd. , calculating in my head how to get in 10 miles. Of course I had my Garmin. It is really nice to be able to just go any direction and know how far I've gone, my pace, heart rate, etc. It is much more fun than having to stick to a specific route.

I got to the end of of Camp Rd. and touched the gate to Camp Wenonah and started back down. Yes it was down and I love down! I actually didn't realize I was running a gradual up hill but I definitely could feel the down. I quickly hit 10 and 9 minute mile paces with ease. Did I mention I love down hills? I felt like I was flying down Camp Rd. It was a great feeling.

The run was going great and I felt great as I paced myself to run more miles than I have ever ran before. Somewhere on my way down Camp Rd. around mile 5 things were going so well, I thought, why not 12?

When I got back to county road 105, I turned and continued up the road. Within a mile I came to the gravel part of the road. My friend had run this route the week before so I felt comfortable trying it myself. I figured I only needed 2 more miles for a 12 mile and 1 mile for a 10 mile so on I went.

I ran county road 105 all the way to county road 12! This part of the run was basically a gravel road through the woods. It was a gradual uphill and I could definitely feel it taking a toll on my pace but I also wanted to run it comfortably so I could finish the miles, so it went slowly but comfortably.

There were a few houses along the way nicely situated on wooded properties. It was a beautiful part of the run but I must say that I am glad I had my headphones on. I did keep the volume very low for safety reasons but if I could have heard all the activity in the woods, I would have been a little uncomfortable. My tunes kept me feeling safe and calm.

The one scary part of the run were a couple of loose dogs. They had their tails a wagging which generally means friendly but the one started chasing me and I didn't like that at all. It slowed me down as I was being cautious of the situation and I kept saying saying "NO". The dog would stop for a bit then continue barking and chasing me and I started saying "NO, GO HOME". Thankfully he didn't get very near me and on I continued, thinking I have to come back this way too!

I kept going and eventually I could see a clearing a head and hear traffic. I knew that I was close to the end of the road. Then I saw the "stop ahead" sign and although I knew I had hit the point I would get 12 miles I had to run to the end. It was getting harder and I felt my pace slowing but I pushed to the end of the road.  It was four of the miles of gravel, (2 up and 2 back) which was different for me, but I made it! I took a break and took a picture of the street signs as proof of my accomplishment.

Then I turned around and saw the road headed back downhill! Oh boy, I love down! I could see the road go down and disappear back into the woods. Off I went, back down and it was fabulous! I again felt like I was flying. Down, down, down, increasing my pace greatly for miles 8, 9 an 10! My average pace kept getting faster and faster as I made up for the slow uphill paces. I was so excited and I still felt great. 
I made it back through the barking dogs all the while yelling "NO" and "GO HOME" but I was going much faster this time and I didn't let them slow me down.  I also kept hearing gun shots.   It was in the woods but it scared me.  I was on a road but I have no idea who is firing the guns and at what.  I actually yelled "DON'T SHOOT ME" as I was running through.  I just kept hoping that they were responsible sportsmen and did not shoot across the road!  Obviously I survived. 

Since I've never ran this far before, it was a little difficult on my body the last couple miles. I ran out of water and texted the kids to bike up to bring me some. I did start walking to text for water. Then I started walking the flats and running the downhills. I had already ran farther than I had ever ran before and I wasn't going to worry about running it all the way home. My average pace therefore started to slow again but I was proud to have gotten in the miles!

By the time I got home I had logged 12.8 miles at a 13.21 min/mile pace. I'd have to say I'm pretty happy with that. Best of all, when I got home I reached my interim goal weight! I finally hit 169!

Since this log is after the run, I can also report that I was quite stiff on Sunday and still today. I have been taking Advil which is working wonderfully. My entire left hip, quad and knee are stiff. I can still walk and there is no pain but oh my!  All I can say is I worked hard for it and I'm conditioning my body to handle more and more on my road to running it off!

Lastly, I'd like to report fuel/recovery for this run. I started out with a Gu Roctane this time. I have never had one before and bought them to try so I figured a long run was the right time. I had 32 oz of water in my Nathan Speed 4R and Clif Shot Bloks both Margarita 3x sodium and Orange with 25 mg caffeine.  I also brought along a second Gu Roctane this time to try on the run.

I knew I would have to conserve water but the weather was nice so I held off and planned my water consumption. It wasn't enough, however, so next time I will start planting water along the way, like I've heard friends doing.  I kept the Clif shot Bloks in my mouth and went through 4 of them and sucked down the Gu Roctane. I did this at a point when my stomach was growling of hunger. It was enough to give me a boost and get though a few more miles.

I have a bit of adjusting to do on the hydration and fueling part of running but I did pretty good for 12 miles.

To recover, I drank a Gatorade Recover and took a hot oil bath. Of course I did quite a bit of stretching first. And lastly, I found another part I need to use the Body Glide! Ow! Chaffing near my sports bra. I've heard it said but never experienced it before til this run. Toes, arms and thighs where I used Body Glide were fine. I'm becoming curious if I will ever learn every prevention technique!

Stats from this run

Elevation Gain: 898 ft.

Elevation Loss: 905 ft.

Time: 2:50:46

Pace: 31.21 min/mile

Max Pace: 7:55 min/mile

This hills on this were amazing. I printed the graph and it cut off the last couple miles but the hill is there. I ran that!