May 30th, 2010 - 10 Mile Run

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

Tonight’s run was great. There wasn’t a single disappointing thing about it. The weather was perfect. I was feeling good and I had recently treated myself to some new running goodies!!! I went to Dicks and bought 3 pairs of Nike Women’s Dri-Fit socks. I had no idea such things as "moisture wicking socks" existed until I read an article about socks in the May edition of Runner’s World Magazine. Great articles in that magazine. I love it! I’d also bought inserts for my shoes, the half soles that support my heel and relieve pressure on my knees. I’d also resolved the issue I had with my iPod. So I was set up with excellent equipment and great music. I didn’t really want to take Sarah because she had just made a mess in the house so I didn’t want to treat her to a run, but Chris insisted that it was his fault because he hadn’t taken her outside soon enough.

Mile 1 was pretty good. Usually mile one is not fun for me but this time it was OK. I was taking it pretty easy for a couple reasons. I knew it was going to be a long run and I didn’t want to aggravate my Achilles Tendon or my knees. Also, I didn’t want to overdo it at the beginning so that I would hit the wall or burn out too soon. Finally, I knew I was going to have to cook dinner when I got back so I didn’t want to be overly exhausted when I got home. I kept my eye on my heart rate, but I let it creep up higher than I would normally because I had just gotten some advice from a veteran runner friend of mine (thanks Lloyd), who told me that with training, my maximum (and therefore, minimum) heart rate needs to be adjusted. So what used to be my steady, fat-burning, aerobic and cardio heart rates are probably higher now, than they were when I first started training.

I decided to wear my Ace Ankle Brace to stave off any AT issues, so with the new socks, sole inserts and brace, there was a lot going on in my shoes this time. Before I got to the half mile mark, I had to actually sit down and take off the brace, it is *way* too tight and it is painful. Much more painful than running without it was likely to be, so I took it off and put it in my runner’s pack. Ahhh….. Much better. Sometimes you have to know when too much is too much.

By the 2.5 mile mark, I was getting my stride and the runner’s high was starting to kick in. I was almost 30 minutes in and The Wall was nowhere in sight. But I know that it likes to hideout at around mile 7 and then attack me from behind. But this time, I’m ready for it. Another thing I had treated myself to when I went to Dick’s was a couple packs of Shot Bloks! I’d never tried them before, but I’d heard good things about them, so I was looking forward to it.

Mile 3 and 4 came without much trouble. The heel supports really seem to be doing the job and the AT is behaving. Can’t say the same about Sarah. Beautiful days draw people out with their dogs and today, Southern California had pulled out all the stops. Not only was it a gloriously sunshiny day, but there was not a cloud in the sky, there was a pleasant breeze and the smell of freshly cut grass and flowers in bloom were intoxicating. On days like today, you run into hard core, open-air exercise junkies as well as the wanna-be’s who dust off their trainers to walk Fido so they can feel good about the extra fried chicken and potato salad they plan to eat on Memorial Day. So I spent quite a lot of energy keeping Sarah from attacking other dogs. That was kind of a drag. But she’s a good dog and usually a word would set her right.

By mile 5, I am still feeling good. My AT is starting to tighten up just a bit, so I know that I will need to start stretching at every cross walk. At this point I am also very aware that I didn’t pack any water and that was a bad, bad choice! I know I want to start throwing back Shot Bloks at mile 6 to stave off The Wall and you really need to take water with that stuff, I’m sure.

So mile 6 comes and I tear open the shot blocks. I thought it was a one solid, gelatinous block with perforations at each serving, but nope! They’re all separate blocks, so when I opened the pack, the first little block tumbled to the ground. I’m exhausted and I am so far from my neighborhood that I really don’t care, so I blow it off and throw it in my mouth. Black Cherry…. Not too shabby. I do wish I had some water, but it really isn’t bad. All I have to do now is wait for it to kick in so I can break on through when I’m confronted with The Wall at mile 7.

Mile 7 comes and goes. I don’t know what they put in these Shot Bloks, but I’m sure it’s just *barely* legal!! They are doing the job! The Wall is nowhere in sight and I am feeling pretty pumped!!! At my next 1-minute break, I switch from my regular Workout Playlist and turn on the Marine Corps Cadence album. It was great. I was able to keep pace with the cadence and laugh because some of them are hilarious.

At mile 8, I throw back another Shot Blok. Still feeling good. I remember the last time I did 10 miles, I was in tears by the end, but I am hopped up on caffeine and I am doin’ it The Marine Corps way!!!

At mile 9, I throw back another Shot Blok. I am very aware that I may never sleep again, but if this is what it takes to get me through race day, I’m OK with that. I figure it’s better to find out what works for me during training, than to try something new on race day. All the articles I read say not to try new things on race day, so I’m OK with my choices today.

Mile 10 comes with absurd ease. I’m sure they’ll be some backlash to whatever I’ve been putting in my body for the last 2 hours, but I can’t worry about that right now, I need to drink a gallon of water and get dinner on the table….. And I swear I can feel my hair growing!

Seriously! What do they put in those Shot Bloks?! Gotta run!