Learn From Me - NEVER Run 15 Miles

Running 15 Miles...
...Sucks. It hurts. There's not a whole lot of good things I can say about my experience yesterday. I guess the one good thing is that when it's done, you can go around all day and say "I just ran 15 miles. What did you do?" and that gives me a smug sense of accomplishment. Oh, and it also burns a lot of calories, and that helps with the f*$&ing scale (which, today being Sunday, we will surely address in a minute). But, I can also say that I learned a lot during 15 miles. There's not a lot to do besides think when you're pluggin along for 2+ hours. Here's some of what I now know:

Lessons From The Road

First Lesson: I don't care how skinny you think you're getting, Ash - your thighs will never not touch. Therefore, you must apply BodyGlide, vaseline, or some other chub rub deterrent. Otherwise, this will happen:


If you can't tell, that the chafing on the inside of my left thigh (the inside of my right thigh looks quite similar). It wasn't quite an issue until around mile 11 and then it started getting to me. Chub rub was just one of the many ailments I was dealing with for the last 4 miles of my run. Please, read on. And please, please DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!! Chub rub can be avoided. Worst case scenario, compression shorts cure what ails the chubby.

Next lesson: DRINK LOTS OF WATER! Seriously. I know it sounds like common sense, but this mistake can happen even to seasoned veterans of the sport (yes, that would be me. I am seasoned veteran at 26. Don't argue.) Even if you think you've hydrated enough, you probably haven't. I knew before I took off Saturday morning that I hadn't drank enough water the day before. Hydrating the day before is key. If you think you can wake up the morning of a run, pound a liter of water and think it's going to do much for you, think again. I knew I was ill prepared, and yet I set out anyway. It could have been worse, I suppose. I had my hip runner's fanny pack which holds about a bottle of water total and that probably saved me. But my supply was exhausted by mile 13 & by the last mile all I could think of was water (well, and my chub rub and my bloody toe). I think I actually started speeding up just because I wanted some dang water so bad. HYDRATE people!!! It will be one less thing for you to worry about.

Next Lesson: TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET!!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you can't run without feet. So take care of them! Who would have thunk that a simple toenail trim before my outing could have saved me so much heartache? By the time I made it home and kicked off my shoes, I had one blood-soaked sock. The reason? The toenail on my little toe cut into the side of my 2nd-to-littlest toe. Ouch. Did I feel it while I was running? Oh yes. Around the last mile and a half I would say is when it really started sucking. Easily avoidable. Take care of your feet.

Next Lesson: Now, this is more personal. I learned that I hate those little GU Energy packs. Nasty, horrid stuff. I packed two gel packs in my little fanny pack, and at mile 5 ripped open my first one. Lemon Sublime, if you were curious. I was so excited for some energy, and all I could think of was that this crap was the consistency of snot and didn't taste much better.


Will everyone hate GU? Probably not. I'm sure lots of people swear by the stuff. But I learned that it does not work for me. Better to find out now than during the marathon, eh?

Next Lesson:

Now, these are the business. They're the anti-GU. My dear friend Tiffany sent them to me in a care package. I just happened to grab them in addition to the GU before I headed out the door and I am SO glad I did. This is my go-to energy source from now on when I head out on my long runs. Clif Bars were always my favorite, so it comes as no surprise that they would make these delicous little bite-sized bits of happiness that tast just like Gushers. Will everyone like them? Probably not. My long-run running buddy, Rob from work, says he hates chewing while he's running. The dude also likes GU. People are different. Find what works for you. I'm glad I found what works for me.

Final Lesson: 15 miles sucks. It hurts. It makes you crabby and question whether you can finish 26.2. But remember that time when you ran 10 miles and felt the same way? Now 10 miles is easy. None of the ailments that accosted me yesterday crept up until after mile 11 or 12. There will be a day when 15 miles is easy. I hope. After all, I have to train my body to run those 15 miles, plus another 11.2. I still have (or only have, depending on my mood) 3 1/2 months to make it happen. 3 1/2 months ago I know that I physically could not have run 15 miles. Go me. I'm getting better (even if it doesn't always feel like it)

The Weigh-In
Let's just get this out there:
135.8

Even with running 15 miles in one day, I still managed only to lose .4 lbs this week. I shan't complain, though. Any loss is good. At least I didn't gain anything. I've had guests in my house for 2 weeks and that means that the pizza and ice cream consumption has usurped the salad intake. Oh well. You only get one life and all that. I can't diet all the time. Next week will be the week. I can feel it ;)

In Other News
My friend Haylie just started a blog on the perils of healthy eating, so I'm going to tell you all to go check it out here.

And it got me thinking about my amazing friends who are also bloggers and wondering why on earth I've never mentioned them before. So here's another couple:

Ingrid writes about being a lady - and a fit, B.A. one at that. She was the only real, true, good lady friend I managed to get out of the navy. Read her blog here.

Stacey is wicked smart, a mommy with one little lady popped out and one on the way, and she cooks! And she loves God! And she blogs about it here.

There are quite a few more, but these are the ones that pertain particulary to diet, fitness, health, and well-being - and that's what I (try) to keep this little blog focused on.

I have smart lady friends in my life. I'm very blessed to know them. Go read their blogs. NOW.