One goal I made was to run 3 20-mile runs before the actual marathon. I wanted to spread it out so that I can complete my last 20-mile run a month before the marathon, which meant that I do my second 20-mile run today. I had a healthy shorter run last week, and I thought I had prepared myself ready for today's run.
Let me just say, first of all, that it was successful. I was able to run the 20 miles, 21 in fact, and I ran the exact route I did 2 weeks ago.
No two runs are the same, and this 20-mile run was so different from my last 20-mile run. I didn't have any trouble with motivation, and I didn't have any mental blocks along the way that deterred me. This time, my hurdle was biological. I got really really tired and really really hungry. I felt so weak, despite having energy gummy chews. There was one point when running around the 90-100th Sts on the West Side, that I felt like I was in a dream and running through water. My limbs felt extra heavy, and I couldn't focus on one thing in my path. I felt like I might pass out at some point, but on some miraculously conscious level, I knew I wasn't going to. Training for these extreme things really makes you amazed at the body's capacity. It was also really cold again (20 degrees) but, the temperature was the last thing on my mind. I also knew on this conscious level that, despite my fatigue, I was going to be able to finish. The mind-body connection really worked it's magic today, because if the two didn't communicate, I still might be in Central Park, passed out on the road some where right now.
Anyhoo, that's one resolution almost being complete. The other resolution I had made was to do some type of strength training twice a week. One of my favorite stores in NYC, the JackRabbit had a January challenge. If you wrote a resolution at a JackRabbit store in January, and stuck with it for a month, they said they were going to give out free technical shirts, if you claim them before February ended. That little challenge worked on me, and I did my strength training twice a week. It wasn't the most strenuous training, but it was as much as I could squeeze in. I went to claim my shirt yesterday, and here it is!
I wore this bad boy today.
Anyhoo, that's the end of today's post. We're having a Super Bowl get together in my apartment. Although I have no clue as to what is going on with the game, it should be fun.
Next week, there will probably be no long run. My brother and sister are visiting me from California, and I'll be spending the weekend with them. I'm really excited to see them, but also because they are bringing me a digital camera that my parents won in some kind of raffle. More visuals more visuals!!
Have a nice Sunday!
6 comments:
nice technical shirt! will you be wearing that in LA???
nice post. I would love to follow you on twitter. By the way, did you guys know that some chinese hacker had hacked twitter yesterday again.
go lady, go!!
i want that shirt!!! i didn't know about the jackrabbit thing. sad. my favorite store EVER!!!!!
ps...you should totally do a ny race...or a run w the whippets ASAP!!!
i didn't hear about this free camera thing. what the H?
yv-tron: i don't think black would be a smart color for sunny LA weather, but we shall see. i am actively thinking of my marathon outfit, though.
heather: thanks lady :) truth be told, i first started running with you hunas! best 5k experience, all in spain!
betsy: i'm going to brave one of the whippets runs. i really have to get used to running with other people... stay tuned... p.s., other reason i love the jackrabbit is because a lot of the employees there are HOT. true story.
louie: you got a free ipod. it's my turn.
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