Welcome to double digit land

Saturday was my longest run that I have ever done…11 miles!  Yikes, that’s crazy talk! The week before I ran 10 miles with my friend Nicki but I was determined to go further.  I had originally planned on 12 miles per my training plan, but a few things hampered my goal.  Let’s back up first.

On Friday night I knew I would need some carbs, so my neighbor Carol and I went to Zio’s for dinner.  I ordered the spinach, olive, lemon penne pasta dish with chicken.  It was ok, I guess I was looking for more of a sauce rather than lots of lemon juice with some spices. 

I had a margarita (#17 of 30 towards my 30 under 30 list) with dinner and it tasted off.  Boo! I  <3 margaritas, but this one tasted like feet.  I think my tastebuds were off. L

 

I went home, played with my favorite cat and promptly hit the sack for an early wake up call.  My plan was to get up early on Saturday morning and leave my house by 6 am to be at my parents house by 7.  So this is what happened: 

I got up around 6 (oops) and made Jabba his breakfast, heated my breakfast while I was putting my clothes on.  I ate breakfast (leftover lemon chicken pasta) and got my running gear together.  My grandparents called and said I had a package at their house that came in the mail.  Huh?  Well, I had ordered something on ebay to use to make my outfit for my ½ marathon and for some reason it went to their house (I guess I need to change the address in my ebay account).  So that put me behind a bit also.  Finally I made it to my parents house at 8ish and me and my Mom set out on the road to Huntsville State Park. 

About 15 minutes before my run I had a gel energy packet and searched for my gps watch to keep track of my mileage.  Turns out that I left it at my parents house in my overnight bag.  BOO!  It’s ok though, I have my phone so I could just bring it and use my app.  Oh wait, my phone app wouldn’t turn on!  Ugh!  Fine.  I just downloaded a new one (which I didn’t really like) and set out.

My Mom went in the opposite direction of the trail and we would meet by the lake (my 4 miles, her 3 miles).  I started out on the trail and was immediately overtaken by 5 bike riders, then a ways down another few bikers.  It turns out there was a bike race on the teeny tiny width of the trail that I was sharing.  After almost getting run over (which walkers/runners are supposed to have the right away) I just kept turning my head any time I thought I heard a biker so I could move over. 

Trail running is really fun, you just have to be really careful for your ankles so you won’t trip on roots and soft sand though.  I got to the 1 mile marker and I thought I had gone MUCH further, lol.  Trails weave all around so the distance seems like a lot more.

I don’t like to run with things in my hand so I didn’t have a water bottle.  I didn’t have one of those water bottle belts either so I was getting really thirsty by mile 4 when I met up with my mom.  I immediately chugged water and ate some sports beans and rested about 5 minutes while we made plans to meet up again.  She was going the 4 miles (walking though) that I just ran and I was going to go the 3 she just walked (running though) and I would meet up with her at her last mile and my 8^th mile (did I just confuse you?).

I set out for mile 5-7 and I felt really good, I was getting tired but no big deal.  At mile 7 I got to the car and drank some more water and had another Gu (Black cherry flavor=disgusting).  I went back on the trail to meet up with my mom. I saw her just after the mile 1 marker (mile 8 for me) and I got some more water.  I had originally planned to run to the 2.5 mile point and turn around (5 miles + 7 miles=12 miles) but since I did not have my cool gps watch, and my newly downloaded phone app was being dumb, I just told her I would go to the 2 miles point and turn around and meet her at the car.  So 11 miles it was!

At the 2 mile mark my Mom called and said that she made a wrong turn and came out at a different spot.  She was going to walk to the car and wait for me. I told her ok and set out for my final two miles (HURRAY!).

I passed a group of guys (my, but no hotties to try and flirt with) and they asked me how far it was to the nature center (beginning of trail), at this point I was so excited to tell them that it was only 1 more mile (I had been counting down you see) and new exactly how far it was.  Every time I passed a group of people coming down the trail and they said hello, all I could say was 1 more mile.  I am sure they thought I was a sweat crazed lunatic muttering to herself, but whatever I just ran 11 miles.

At about 1 mile into my last mile I didn’t see the end of the trail that I really was desperate to see.  Hmmm?  Did I miss the turn off?  Did I really just do what I silently laughed at my Mom for doing?  It turns out I did.  I somehow managed to miss the turn off to my trail and ended on the Dogwood trail.  I promptly (out of breath) called my mom and said I am not turning around and for her to come pick me up. LOL.  I was tired! 

So, I might have technically ran more than 11 miles, but I have no idea.  My stupid new running app that I just downloaded had stopped running (plus it was in km and I don’t know how to transfer it to miles ??) and it wouldn’t turn back on.  Boo. When I got home  I promptly deleted that app from my phone. Thank you very much.

My mom picked me up and I wanted to hurl.  Around mile 9.5 I had started feeling nauseous and needed food asap.  I had brought some veggies with me to hold me over til I could eat a really substantial meal but I needed food like yesterday.

We exited and found a Whataburger, I told my mom what to order me and I quickly ran to the bathroom to throw up.  TMI:  it was all carrot bits and water.  EWWWWWW!!!

We got our hamburgers, iced tea, two extra packets of salt, and onion rings to go and I chowed down.  It probably was not the best meal to eat, but I needed salt and food in my system so I didn’t car what it was at the time.  Whataburger=Yummy!

My mom kept asking me “So, this is fun to you?  Throwing up?” LOL, yes Mom it is!  I just have to get my nutrition and water intake down pat so I will be ready for race day.   I told my Mom that the water bottle belts were like $40 and I couldn’t afford one right now so I would just get water at the water stations.  She wrote me a check for $45.  J Spoiled 29.5 year old brat?  Well yes, I do believe I am.

Fun times in the woods.  How was your Saturday?!