22 .... sigh ......

Sorry for the sporadic posting lately.  Things have been busy, however not terribly exciting or share-worthy. 

 

Been doing some Christmas baking, getting a few more decorations put up (wasn't going to bother, but then the mood struck).  Seeing a few friends for some Christmas cheer - however still not having enough time to see everyone I want to. :(

 

Oh ... wait.  I did do something exciting.  But I'll post about that later because I want to add pictures.

 

On Saturday we did another mileage record for me.  22 miles!  OK, yeah, I guess that might be exciting.

 

The first 13-ish miles were good.  I felt good, the weather was perfect (crisp & cool, but dry).  Running on quiet roads, past lots of farm fields and some quiet subdivisions.  Very nice. 

 

We then stopped at a coffee shop to fill up on our water.  I swear we were only in there for maybe 4-5 minutes.  When we came out ... the world had changed.  It started snowing, mixed with big drops of ice cold rain ... and the wind picked up.  It was disgusting!  My friend told me to make a decision ... press on, or stop now and get picked up.  I'm stubborn so I said press on. 

 

As it was, the rain and most of the wind stopped, however the snow continued to fall.  We were now running along a busy road and it wasn't pleasant at all.  Around 17 miles my body started to shut down.  My muscles were cramping, the arch in my left foot locked up.  It was very umcomfortable.  I had to stop a couple times to stretch.  My mind had checked out too, but like I said .. I'm stubborn, and we continued on.

 

We made it through, but really the last 4-5 miles were a bit of a blur for me.  I just had to get through it.  At least this time we had lots of time to warm up and have a good stretch after.  Unfortunately I sat on my friend's cat though.  I went to sit down and it jumped up underneath me as I was going down.  However my reaction time was seriously impaired and I couldn't get up in time.  Sorry kitty!!

 

I had prepared some steel cut oats for us to have after the run.  We ate them with blackberries.  YUM!  I think that's the best after run meal I've ever had.  Warm, chunky oats with fruit.  Heaven!!!

 

My leg muscles are so unbelievably tight right now.  I need to be very careful.  We had planned one more long run (24 miles) before the new year.  But I think I might reduce that one substantially.  I'm not willing to injure myself long term, especially when this training isn't for anything in particular for me.  I will be (and have been) dedicating alot of time to stretching.  My husband said when I'm at complete rest (ie: laying in bed having just woke up) my leg muscles feel like they are in the middle of a major weight press.

NOTES

Consumed prior to run: Multi-grain Cheerios w/milk & 1 cup of tea
Consumed during run: 3 water bottles filled with Gatorade, about 8-10 Sun Rype Fruit Bites
Immediately after run:  Steel Cut Oats w/blackberries & tea
Approx 2 hours later:  Awesome delicious dinner of roast pork tenderloin, cheesy scalloped potatoes, vegetable medley, salad and all kinds of goodies
Stomach issues: Pretty good
Energy level during run:  First half great, 2nd half extremely challenging
Muscles: Medic?????

Aftermath:  Very stiff, very sore, no headaches though and not completely drained of energy
Things to try on next long run:  Adequate rest!
 

Keep Active!

   

Heidi

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