16 Miles

Summary of the past ten days: vacation ended, work resumed, and my gym is closed for annual maintenance. After the successful completion of my 14 mile run at the beach, I pretty much did no other form of physical activity for the next 5 days. Three days after we returned I begrudgingly began to unpack and accepted the fact that I was going to have to start running again. Monday I ran my best 5 mile time yet, 50 minutes. Tuesday I took off. Wednesday I ran 6 miles, also for my best time yet, 55 minutes. Thursday I took off. Friday I ran 5 miles, and I have no idea what my time was because I had to pee so badly by the time I finished.

Saturday's Team in Training group run was scheduled for 16 miles, starting in Vienna. After being out somewhat late the night before, enjoying some of the absolute best food and wine the area has to offer, I decided to do the run on my own to avoid the drive out to Vienna. In addition to avoiding the drive I could also sleep about 30 minutes longer, still start earlier, and my mentor that I like to run with was not going to be there anyway.

I managed to get up despite my strong desire to put the run off until Sunday morning, got dressed, strapped on the atrocious water belt filled with orange Gatorade, charged my IPod for a few minutes, then headed out to the trail. I was running the W&OD from mile marker 27.5, out 8 miles west into Leesburg, turn-around at mile marker 35.5, and back. I started at 7:05, the weather was mostly overcast, and really humid.

The first two miles were pretty tough. Everything felt off - my knees, how my feet were hitting the ground, my pace, everything. I finally warmed up near the start of the 3rd mile, and began the countdown from 8 - which I also did on the return, it is mentally easier to think about two 8 mile runs than one 16 mile run. My IPod battery died with about 6 miles to go. I drank every last drop of Gatorade the miserable water harness contained. It is possible that I lost an excess of 4 pounds in sweat alone. And the last 3 miles nearly killed me. I think I may have only been semi-conscious during the last mile. But, I finished. On my own. At 10:25. 16 miles. 3 hours, 20 minutes.

During the weekend distance runs, I usually find myself wondering if it is this hard to run 8, 10, 12 miles - how am I ever going to finish the marathon? This time, when I hit the final mile marker, I just wondered how is it going to feel when I finish the marathon?