26 Or Bust!

Last Saturday was the first run that made me sincerely wonder what in the world I got myself into when I signed up to run a marathon.

You can safely add 10% to your mileage each week. Having covered 11 the week before, I should have added 1.1 miles to Saturday’s run. However, knowing I’m well behind the team in mileage and being a stubborn person, I made up my mind to add more. From the first steps I took, I was ready to stop, yet I went on to run just two blocks shy of 14 miles. That’s right. I didn’t just add two miles to my run, but instead nearly three. I can honestly say that I felt every single step I took and that I’m still sore, paying the price of my stupidity.

We ran from Union Street near Sixth Avenue in Brooklyn, over the Brooklyn bridge, across Manhattan to the West Side Highway and up to 34th Street and then turned, following the same route back to our starting point. Most people ran farther on to 54th Street or 72nd Street, doing 16 or more miles.

The view from the bridge was incredible, though the crowds on the way back were a bit frustrating. Along the West Side Highway it was windy keeping us cool. Other than the bridge the course was flat. The makings of a good run. Unfortunately, I was too tired to enjoy it and it took all my willpower to keep from stopping dead in my tracks. Honestly, had I not been signed on to Team in Training and had I not already raised over $3,000, I would never have kept going.

I reached 4th Avenue with two and a half blocks left to go, but I looked ahead and it was all uphill. I stopped cold. I had already run almost a mile further than I planned and knew I was past my limit for the day. Just walking those last two blocks was shear torture. On the phone with David afterwards, as I marched to get myself the most guilt-free bagel sandwich of my life, all I could do was laugh at the pain. I was actually giddy with exhaustion.

Sunday found me running errands and cooking instead of running as I needed a day to recover. Last night however, I hit the road after work and squeezed in 4.8 miles. Today I feel better than I did yesterday. My foot is a little tender, but not sore and I’ll be sure to ice it after practice tonight.

I plan to get one or two more runs/gym workouts in this week. Hopefully, it helps me be stronger and more prepared for this Saturday’s long run. With any luck, it’ll be easier than last week and I won’t spend the whole time wondering if I really did lose my mind committing to this.