Wow, yesterday I ran 20 MILES (32 km), and it was EASY. (ok, as easy as I could possibly imagine it could be!!!!) I ran 10 km close to the house (dead flat, mostly gravel) then came home, ate, drank water, then drove 20 mins to meet the gals. We drove 21 KILOMETRES away from where I parked, and started running. It was a mix of up and down, first 7 km on pavement, then 12 km gravel, final 2 km on pavement. Overall, it was downhill, which (trust me!) is pretty dang hard.
It took a really long time, as we had to yell at cows, stop for oranges and other snacks and drinks, get stones out of shoes, etc. etc. And we finished with a picnic of smoothies, oranges and almonds. Perfect!!!
But I'll tell you what I think made this week so successful:
1. melting down physically** the other week, then taking last week off from a long run, I rested my body. It was obviously needed.
2. at least twice this week, I ate until I was really uncomfortable. The steak I had Thurs was embarrassing, actually, as it was grotesquely large. Bigger than my face. And LOTS of potatoes. I find them to be the best pre-workout carb for me.
3. I tried new technology. A guy recommended compression tights to me a few months ago. He'd been powder skiing 6 straight days in Fernie, and said he was never tired nor sore. And I met him on a trans-atlantic flight the day after all this skiing. And he was fine. He should have been crippled! So...... I went to the local running store Saturday, tried on about 10 pairs, and dropped a hideous amount of cash for some full-length tights. They look really cool - I dress like a super hero with cool stripes and stitching all over my legs!
http://www.cw-x.com/ExploreProducts.aspx?gender=womens&product=tights&by=activity&sub=run
The girls kept asking me if the tights were making any difference, and after 10 miles, I still wasn't sure. But after 15 miles, I KNEW they were magic! I won't lie - I was sore. But maybe 30% as sore as I would have expected. And I was able to lengthen my stride at that point. I could go fast; I could "sprint" up hills (after 15 miles, a sprint is only perceptible in comparison to snails and tortoises, but I could tell!) By 19 miles, I felt so good, I knew I could finish the full 26 that day, if I wanted.
Last Friday, I saw my acupuncturist/Doctor TCM, and she was really worried about how run down I was. She advised me to stick to a half marathon, as she worried that my body would not be able to cure my cancer recurrence if I got more exhausted. This morning, I saw her again, told her about my MAGIC PANTS and how great my training run was. She checked my pulses and tongue, and she concurred that I am indeed FAR stronger than she would have expected! I'm better than before the longest run of my life!
P.S. 2259 calories burned in yesterday's workout!! Aiiy yai yai! Hoping I'll hit 3000 in the race :)
**see next post
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