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Saturday Jeff and I tackled 7 miles with the rest of my half peeps - it was a tough day for everyone, and even some runners who normally don't seemed fazed by the distance or the heat had to walk parts of the route. However, it was one of my better runs - I felt really good right from the start, and we tried to keep a steady, slow pace (we averaged 13:50 for the entire run, but mile 2 was at 12:38 which was not intended...too fast for the heat and distance at this point in my training). The route had several hills, and I amazed not only myself but Jeff as well by running up all of them, until the last long gradual hill that went on and on and on (for nearly a mile, no joke)...I did some walking there, but that was during mile 6, so I didn't feel too bad about it. I think my hill work is paying off!
Before - bleary-eyed and blurry...
After - sweaty seven!
Jeff ended up getting a bit of a headache toward the latter part of the run, but I felt fine - well, hot, tired and thirsty, but that's to be expected. I've been drinking a 20 oz. bottle of Gatorade every day, and twice on the days that I run (one after the run and one in the afternoon). I think that has helped to keep my electrolytes up for these sweaty runs. Jeff wasn't able to be as diligent with his pre-hydration due to his traveling, and it showed. Preparation can make or break a long run...part of our training is learning what works and what doesn't - and it's always a hard lesson learning what doesn't work.
Breakfast of champions - chocolate milk, coffee and an egg bagel sandwich. Plus a dry shirt, which, while it felt good, made me even more aware of how sweat-logged the rest of my clothing was. Next time I'm bringing an entire change of clothes for our post-run breakfast.
Side note: I had such a good run on Saturday, but my 2 milers on Monday and Tuesday? Not great. My legs felt like lead...not sure if they are still recovering from the long run or what, but it's amazing how you can go from a "yay, I'm getting better at this running thing" to "I suck at running" in a matter of 48 hours. Thanks for the reality check, running gods.
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So you all know about my love for Newton running shoes, right? Well, the Newton rep - Jordan - was at the store on Saturday morning - he brought shoes for anyone who wanted to take a test run in them (although not until after our long run - it's not advisable to run in a different shoe for 7 or 12 miles the very first time). Because Jeff and I were wearing our Newtons, Jordan gave us some goodies - a Headsweats visor for Jeff (which matches his shoes), and a pair of socks for me:
Doing his Minnie Pearl impression by leaving on the tags...
Yay socks!
Last night, the running store hosted a Newton natural running form clinic. I've read about these and was excited to finally be able to attend one. We practiced our running form (and even did some skipping, which was fun) and hopefully I can remember everything I learned. Plus I came home with a cute green Newton visor, which matches my running shoes - between the shoes, socks and visor, I will be a walking billboard for Newton, lol!
You and Jeff are such a good couple.
ReplyDeleteYou know, as well as I do, that there are always "bad" runs but the good part is that they are always followed by good ones. So no worries about Monday and Tuesday's run.
Cool that you were able to go to the clinic. Sounds interesting and fun.
Funny that this comment about running is posted at 5.27 am your time, the same time 7 hours ago here that I went out for my morning run.
ReplyDeleteJust saying and sharing :)
What a fun connection! :)
DeleteSo glad you finally had a long run that felt victorious! It will pay off when it gets cooler, just you wait and see.
ReplyDelete52 miles...wow, my legs are sore just thinking about it. I agree with Helen, once it gets cooler all your hard work will have paid off and your legs should feel better.
ReplyDeleteLove the lime green shirts!
Fifty two miles? That is just wonderful. You are so back. I love how much you and Jeff enjoy this together. Bet you didn't imagine that would happen five years ago?
ReplyDeleteAs Helen said, you will be a MONSTER when the weather cools down. Watch out, fall races.
FIFTY TWO MILES!! You bet that's good! That pic of you and the Newton shoes is funny. That's impressive that they have that many shoes for people to actually try running in. My brother thinks they are amazing. I think they would be so much better for running than walking. I'm not going to put that to the test though!
ReplyDeleteAnd you and your chocolate milk makes me smile. I used to LOVE that stuff when I was a kid. I might have to try some again for nostalgia's sake. Of course, I won't be running 7 miles for my milk...
I couldn't resist hugging all the Newtons - it's pretty cool how many pair the rep had for everyone to test out.
DeleteI had to laugh at you and Jeff's matching shirts - so cute but my husband tells me that if we are ever wearing matching anything, he'd better have had a stroke and can't argue!
ReplyDeleteLove all the loot you got! I think it was just recovery after the long run - do you stretch out on Sunday's at all? That may help.
We don't always match, but running while it's dark means pulling out the bright shirts...we didn't look too bad once we were with the other running club peeps who were also wearing the same shirt. Believe me, we don't go out in public like that! :)
Delete52 miles!?!?! Holy smokes!! You are on fire! That's awesome!
ReplyDeleteYay for running! And 52 miles is a lot of miles, never mind the heat. If I put that in equivalent bike miles, it is around 150-160 miles! :D
ReplyDeleteYowza!!! 52 miles is HUGE!!!!! and in the heat? That's even HUGER! :) I laughed at your Minnie Pearl tag left on. Have a wonderful Wednesday Shelley!!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! That's great. I've never seen Newton's. Have to check it out. Nothing better than free socks. Cool!
ReplyDeleteSo lucky you an get your husband to run. I've good things about Newtons but they are so expensive...
ReplyDeleteThey are expensive, but we get a 10 to 20 percent discount on them thanks to our running club, which brings the price down closer to the rest of the running shoe prices. Plus with all that I run, I can get by with one pair for a year - of course, I do have my eyes on a second pair in a fun color...
DeleteOh my goodness, you are so right about how 48 hours can swing a love for running. At least it can swing up too! I can't believe how hard my 5 miler on Tuesday was, after two halfs this weekend. I worked so hard for what I consider a slow pace.
ReplyDeleteMy friend is training for an ultra, with no time goals. She keeps saying she just needs time on her feet. I like that idea, the feeling of success for just getting out there, whether it's 2 or 5 or 7. Good job.