Humidity 93%. What even IS THAT? I'll tell you what: it's death by percentage points. And that's the humidity when I got home...it had actually dropped throughout my run because when each of us dragged ourselves weakly to the finish, we were greeted with the information, "It was 100% humidity when we started out this morning!"It was horrible.
7.5 miles in 1:25:58. The last 20 minutes were the longest of my life. I had to stare at the ground because if I looked up, I would vomit.
It was a Shelby Farms day. We parked under the Walnut Grove bridge and then ran the dirt path up to Farm Road, crossed into the park, ran the Chickasaw Trail, ran the trail around Patriot Lake, and then took the dirt path back to the bridge. The marathoners had to do that twice. As evidence of the struggles we were all having this morning, most of the marathoners passed me on the dirt road at the very end of my run. On a less saturated day, I wouldn't have even seen those people because they would have been halfway around the Chickasaw Trail again before I left Patriot Lake.
It has rained and rained and rained and rained and rained the past week and a half. And it's supposed to rain again today. And tomorrow, too. And the Chickasaw Trail will kill you on a good day when it's the only thing you're running. Today was the hardest goddamned run I have done in a long, long time.
There were two girls in front of me who are training for the marathon and they're new to running so they're on a schedule of running 5 minutes, walking 1, running 5, and so on. They were right ahead of me and I'd *almost* catch up while they walked...and then they'd run ahead...and then I'd *almost* catch up again...over...and over...and over...for an hour and twenty-six freaking minutes. And I usually run with another girl who's about at my pace but today she had to stop to walk (God do I not blame her) and so I was alone. Dripping wet. Unable to breathe. Caught in the mental torture of watching the people in front of me...
So, yeah. Running is awesome and everyone should do it.
Dud I don't know how you do it! And with that heat too! It's been nice here the lats couple of weeks. We've not seen rain and had lots of sun!
ReplyDeleteI am so freaking proud of you!!!! 7.5 miles of straight running in September?!? You are going to kick the half marathon's ass! I can tell that today was miserable, but it just shows how tough you are. Way to go : )
ReplyDeleteOMG I cant beleive that you finished!!! That vomitting feeling is the worst... Thats just crazy shit man! Im so proud of you- you should be so proud of yourself!!! It's some series mental ability as well as physical ability!!!
ReplyDeleteP.s. TIP: My doctor once told me that if you breathe through your nose only its physically impossible to vomit. I do this sometimes and it works until i feel so crap i would prefer to vomit.. i dont know how it would go while you are running but sometimes deperate times call for desperate measures... Bank it away and you might use it one day!
Aw, thanks everyone!!! I'm feeling much better today and you have all made me feel like I accomplished something (other than not dying mid-run, that is). The strange thing is that even though it was stupidly hard yesterday, I was actually less tired later in the day than I was the week before. I guess I must be getting stronger...
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, 7.5 miles in September puts us so far ahead of schedule!! I'm not sure what's up with that, but I would much rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.
Sam - Tip noted!! I have a feeling that could definitely come in handy some day. :) And who knew?!