Did I Crack?

Today, I was reminded that no matter how good you think you are, no matter how indestructible you feel, no matter how trained your body has become, “Running is Hard.” Let me clarify even more. Running in Texas in July with unbearable heat and humidity is really hard.

I met Shannon, Amy and Susan at 5:45am this morning at Runtex to tackle our 18 miles. This was my first 18 miler since March prior to the Boston Marathon. I’ve been hovering between 12-15 for the last few months, with 15.5 miles being my max a couple of weeks back. We were picking up Cindy S. two miles into our run at the Rock as she was only doing 14 today (I can't believe I said "only"). Honestly, I’m not really sure why I was so intent on doing the full 18 this morning. My Marathon (if I do it) isn’t until December. There’s absolutely no logical reason on paper that I should be doing that much mileage this far out. However, in the last few years, I’ve learned to kick logic to the curb when it comes to mental, emotional and personal endurance. I simply wanted to run…far. So, I tried.

We had outlined a couple of different water stops and Amy had also stashed bottles of Gatorade at the turnaround point. In addition, Shannon’s camel back saved the day for most of us. Thank you Shannon!! FYI—I couldn’t care less if your dog ever chewed on the hose. I’d still drink the water :-)

I don’t think any of us ever really felt good even though our pace for a long run was decent. We appeared to do everything right…start off slow, drink at every stop, take our time, etc. I had plenty of rest, I had eaten well yesterday and I had hydrated sufficiently. It just didn’t seem to make much difference. We hit the turnaround after what seemed like the longest 9 miles in my life and I DOWNED a bottle of Gatorade. I mean one chug and it was gone. I immediately opened another and started drinking. I had to stop myself because I was afraid of getting cramps or a tummy ache at that point. I just could not quench my thirst.

We turned around and began to head home. Amy was complaining about dizziness and balance issues. Allergies? Dehydration? Who knew…She kept asking how far we’ve gone. At one point, she stopped running and sat down on the curb. She was not doing well at all. She rallied for a few more miles and after 13, she made the best decision and decided to stop. Fortunately, her parents live in the neighborhood we were in so it made the decision that much more comforting.

The rest of us continued to run and it appeared that Cindy had some spring in her step. Every chance I got, I’d stop to drink water. Hills were particularly tough today. We got back to the Rock where Cindy was ending her run. I had a decision to make. Cut it short at 16 and have Cindy drive me back to my car or run it in with Shannon and complete the task of running 18 miles.

Those of you that know me know exactly what I did.




18 miles in 2:34:52 (the Garmin lost signal on the bridge so I’m still calling it 18) I also stopped my watch at every water stop as well so this is not a continuous time. It measures only when I was running. I’m calling it 18 miles. I don’t care what the purists say!

8:36 overall pace

Mile 1 9:40
Mile 2 8:50
Mile 3 9:15
Mile 4 9:30
Mile 5 8:49
Mile 6 9:10
Mile 7 8:46
Mile 8 8:43
Mile 9 8:11
Mile 10 8:42
Mile 11 8:35
Mile 128:35
Mile 13 8:47
Mile 148:36
Mile 15 8:34
Mile 168:48
Mile 17 7:54
Mile 18 (on pace for 8:13) even though it measured .6 miles