This weekend I had to run a 14 mile training run. I’ve only ever run a half marathon distance before so this was my farthest run. Leading up to it, I felt very excited. I could cross it off my list and I’d feel so proud when I finished.
I prepared for it by eating pasta the night before and not drinking any alcohol for 2 days prior. I also chose to run on Sunday instead of my usual Saturday because it was supposed to be a little cooler. And, I found a running partner so I wouldn’t be alone. This is my friend Michael. He is running the same marathon as I am and has also never run a marathon before.
Since Michael is much taller, he runs faster than me. I tried to find us a good pace but it turns out I was running too fast for myself and had to stop to catch my breath ~ mile 8. Then, we had a break at 8.5 with Gatorade and energy chews. I was walking again at mile 12. It was very humid. And I was having trouble. My legs were throbbing and I felt miserable. Michael on the other hand, felt refreshed and was able to run until mile 14. I was happy for him but man, I was hard on myself. I couldn’t find that “proud” feeling that I was looking forward to.
After a day of being down (and terribly sore!), I decided to compare my stats to my last 2 long runs in which I felt very accomplished. Turns out, my average pace was about the same, even though I didn’t have any walk breaks! This means my body was performing the same as when I felt I was performing very good. To top that, the elevation difference between my last runs and this one was +400 ft!! Which means, I performed better.
Although I am more proud than yesterday, I am still struggling that Michael had so much more energy than I had in the end. I will try to improve my energy at the end by eating more energy during the run. I just wish I wouldn’t compare my runs to others! I hate to do that to myself because what I love most about running is the beauty. My other disclaimer is that Michael is 10 years younger than me. And, I hate that I’m getting old 😩
Documenting the journey to 26.2 