22 miles

Monday I went just under 22 miles (21.85). I was in Rio Linda, so at least I didn’t have any hills to contend with, but I was still exhausted. Usually I hit hills and have to walk up some of them and get relief in my calves as I go down them, but in Rio Linda there were not any significant hills so I never had to walk which made my legs work in a different way for longer than they were used to. I never got the strain in my calves the hills give me going up, but I never got the relief the down hills give me either. I felt ok for the first half of my run and only had to stop for traffic lights until my last hour and a half or so but my last hour was spent walking as much as I was jogging…if not more. I got so tired I just wanted to sit down and not move any more. I wanted to cry a couple times, and then I yelled at myself in my head to knock it off because I’m not a pansy. There was a free couch on one street that was so tempting, and it killed me to pass up that bench at the bus stop on Watt Ave. I imagined a delightful rest and conversation as the lady that was sitting there would tell me her life story whilst sharing a box of chocolates that would just magically appear. So hungry!

It took me 4 hours and 34 minutes for about a 12 and a half minute per mile average pace. I took 6 energy gels and ate 4 of them, took about a liter and a half of water in my hydration back pack and drank all of it and wished I had brought more. I rationed the last of it so I only had about a half a mile to a mile left when I finished it, but it would have been nice to have had an extra 8 oz or so- I just wish water didn’t weigh so much. It will be nice on race day to have aid stations with water and not have to wear that back pack.

Usually after a good work out sore muscles show up the next day, but I was feeling it even before my run was done. My soreness and stiffness was the worst that night. I couldn’t touch my toes with straight legs, I had to get up and down really slowly and I was walking funny. No significant blisters, just really really tired feet. Yesterday I was still a little sore, but I could walk normally. I didn’t do my recovery run yesterday. Today my muscles were fine. Wednesdays are usually a rest day, but since I didn’t do my 3 miles yesterday I did them today instead and got a personal best time on my 3.4 mile hilly route with 11 minute 18 second miles. I thought for sure once I hit that first big hill my legs would die out after my big run on Monday, but they didn’t.