Hurricane Irene? Please, Try Running 17 Miles

My favorite length run is 8 miles. It usually takes me about an hour and 20 minutes, which to me feels like the perfect length workout; it’s long enough that it’s worth getting sweaty, but short enough that I don’t feel like I died.

As I start my run this morning, I think about the 8 miles, but instead of feeling energized, I’m almost paralyzed with fear. The problem with my 8 miles today is that it’s not even HALF of my long run that I’m about to do.

That’s right. Today’s run is 17 miles. SEVENTEEN. This is the run that makes me realize that I am definitely training for the New York Marathon – or that I’m completely insane and am just running 17 miles for the sheer pleasure of it. And trust me – there is no pleasure in running 17 miles.

As I start my run, I am very nervous. My workouts the last couple of weeks have been an absolute mess. First, my daughter has been home from camp and school, so I haven’t been able to go to the gym for spin classes or swims. On top of that, my two day trip to Tucson, Arizona last week turned into four when Hurricane Irene blew into the Northeast and canceled my flights home. Fortunately for me, I was trapped in Tucson with Peter K, which meant that I have never eaten so well for so many consecutive meals in my life (and Peter even sacrificed himself for me and ate almost an entire slice of mango coconut pie just so that I could have one bite :-). And although I worked out every day in Tucson – again, Peter K was RIGHT there – I had to shorten both of my runs that I had to do out there due to the heat (and before you judge and tell me that it’s a “dry heat”, go turn on your oven, stick your head in it, and tell me how long you’d be able to run in there). Then, once I finally got home from Arizona, I turned right back around and took my family on a vacation to Hershey Park, Pennsylvania. That meant another three days of shortened workouts, and since this time I didn’t have Peter K – my mentor and number one accountability person – with me, I did not eat half as well as I did in Arizona (lesson learned: on every trip always pack your resistance bands, extra workout clothes – and your health coach :-).

So, I was about to do my longest run ever on a semi-wrecked diet, very few and short lead in runs and the kind of sleep you get when you’ve spent one night in 8 in your own bed. As I started off, I thought, “I have to do this, so I might as well get going,” and off I went. I enjoyed the MUCH cooler temperatures of New York compared to Arizona, and was happy to be running on my home turf.

As I’ve been training for this marathon, I’ve realized that the opening 4 – 5 miles of my long runs are a breeze, almost like a warm up. Not today, though. By the end of 5 miles, I was already feeling sore and tired. I thought back to a conversation Peter and I had in Arizona. I knew I was going to have to do this run today without proper preparation, and I had told him about it. Peter coached me through it, saying to me that it would likely be difficult, but that I was strong, fit, and had been working out steadily for years now. He reminded me that my most difficult obstacle was going to be my own mind. I thought about this now, said to myself “you can do this. Just keep going.” And I did.

As my run continued, I grew more weary, so I just started breaking it up into pieces, saying to myself, “Just think about the next two miles. Now just think about that one mile loop with the pretty houses.” Instead of thinking of one SEVENTEEN mile run, or even two favorite 8 mile runs strung together with a one mile bonus between them, I thought about 1, 2 and 3 mile runs. I reminded myself that Peter has spent 3 years pulling back on the reins of the wild stallion he has created in me when I bite off more than I can chew, so if he told me that I can finish this run, then I can.

Today’s run was by far the toughest I’ve ever done. My knee hurt, my whole body was tired. At times I had to walk, and at other times I merely shuffled because that’s as much as I was capable of. The first 8 miles came and went without fanfare, and I tackled the second 8 with the little energy I had left. But, I did it. I finished my 17 mile run in over 3 and ½ hours.

Next week, my life returns to normal. My daughter’s school starts again, and there are no forces of nature on the horizon to contend with. I even have a “step back” week in my training schedule, which means that my runs are shorter in order to give my body a chance to recover. After that, though, comes an 18 mile run and a couple of 20 milers. But if I can do 17 miles after the crazy schedule that I’ve had lately, then I can do anything. And the best part is that I actually believe that.