For two weeks the longest run of my training thus far has hung over my head. Jaynie and Eileen completed the run on Valentines Day and I gave it a shot on February15th. Much to my dismay, my body was not ready to run 30 miles. Overtrained, tired, hungry and unmotivated, I made it through a lackluster 10 miles before calling Andrew to pick me up. I shed tears in my kitchen as frustration over not completing the run poured over me. Knowing I needed a break, Andrew encouraged me to take off my running clothes and take a nap. With a busy week ahead of our first small group, school work, baking for a weekend away with friends, and taking a weekend away with friends, I had little time to run last week. A few miles on Tuesday and a couple more on Wednesday were all I had the time or energy to do. Thursday night Andrew and I dropped the dog off at the vets for boarding and headed to Ohio for a weekend with seven other college friends.
After a festive Thursday evening, Friday morning I woke up ready to try 31 again. Andrew promised to run some with me and bike the rest as we drove to nearby trails. The weather was frigid, Andrew had a wardrobe malfunction and all either of us wanted to do was hang out. We decided it was best for both of us to call it quits around six miles and head back to the cabin's hot tub. After two days of delicous food, fantastic friends, and goofy games our time with our friends was both refreshing and exhausting.
Though the weekend was a blast, I still had this "little" run sitting in front of me. Ready to complete it I set out in snowy conditions in Morgantown to run with our dog. 30 miles later, the run is finished and I feel encouraged.
When it comes to running at times I am a headcase. Though I put in the training I sometimes flake out during a run and feel overwhelmed by the amount of miles stretching before me. In the middle of marathons I start to feel like I can't keep going and make myself feel physically ill. The 30 mile run was not different. To have 30 miles waiting for me to run alone was intimidating. My head was filled with doubts as I began to pound the pavement. 30 miles? Alone? How would I ever survive that many hours of boredom with only a dog to keep me company? As I pushed through mile after mile, however, I realized that I could do it. Around mile 18 the doubts started to float into my head. Would I finish? I felt tired and hungry. My legs were aching, my knee was tender and my feet were sore. The dog kept pulling the leash, urging me to continue and every time I felt tired, I decided I deserved a treat. I ate fruit leather and gave myself walk breaks every couple of miles. My Ipod battery died and I was without music but, around mile 26 I stopped and chuckled to myself. I ran a marathon alone. A couple of years ago I would have never been able to do that. Eventually, my gps added up to 30 and Andrew came to pick me up. I'd finished the run!
The dog and I are both tired from the miles we put on our legs, but I feel as if the 50 miler is actually within my grasp. If I can complete 30 by myself without a single person to talk with, 50 with Jaynie should be a piece of cake, right?
