My alarm was supposed to go off at 8:30 this morning to wake me up and give me enough time to fuel up and dress for my planned long run. But because I am a grandma and go to bed at 9:30 (I know, pathetic… right?) I was awake and out of bed by 7:30 this morning.
Who am I becoming? I’ve never been the type of person to be up and at ‘em first thing in the morning. It’s kind of nice, actually.
I took my time getting ready and enjoying the extra hour I had this morning, but was out the door by 8:45.
I always run at a park about a mile from my house (which is awesome because I use that first mile as a warm-up). I love my little park because there are usually people there with their children and dogs and almost every time I am there some kind of activity is going on.
Here’s a small idea of what the park looks like:
There’s a huge (unpictured) baseball field in the center of the park where adult teams often have games on the weekend.
A golf putting range lies to the left of the baseball field. Cute older Japanese people are often here practicing putting or playing croquet.
Near the putting range is a small play area for children. It’s a typical jungle-gym kind of deal, but no swing sets, which makes me a sad Maria. I love to swing!
The path I run on circles the entire park and is exactly half a mile. And I get to pass these guys as I run:
So, with that being said, how was this morning’s long run, you ask? My run this morning was AWESOME! I don’t know if it was the extra carbs from yesterday, or if my routine this morning was just a winner. But either way I had a great, long 8 mile run this morning. Yes. 8 miles! I set a personal distance record for myself!
Breakfast looked like this before the run:
I took my usual run necessities along (iPhone and water bottle filled with 6 ounces of Gatorade and 14 ounces of water) but also packed some of the dried banana chips my parent’s have been shipping me. (Maybe I finally found their perfect use?) In the past I’ve been known for making two mistakes when running: I don’t drink anything and I don’t fuel up mid-run on longer ones. I think these have been big mistakes on my part.
Today I sat my water bottle on a park bench and every time I passed it I took a swig of my Gatorade/water concoction. I think the timing was perfect because I didn’t get dehydrated, but I wasn’t drinking so much that my tummy felt full and had all that liquid sloshing around. After finishing my 4th mile I ate my banana chips. They were quick to eat and not messy, so a good choice if you ask me.
I hit the end of mile 7 and knew I could comfortably keep going, so I chose to push for an extra mile. It felt great to not settle for what I knew I was capable of, but to push onward.
My quads are so sore, but my amazing husband was kind and used a tennis ball to roll my legs out. I may have cried a little in the process.
Now, let the post-long run shower/lunch party begin. And a trip to the grocery store is planned, too, since our kitchen is looking a little too empty.
Kayıtlar
Yorumlar
Yorum Gönder