Long run Wednesdays

We set the alarm for 5:30 and for once we actually got up and forced ourselves out the door. A few minutes late, but earlier than usual nonetheless. On task for the day 1 hr 40 min. We decided to head out toward National airport on the Mt. Vernon trail. We filled our water bottles and each took a gel for the road. I did not eat anything beforehand. Chad had a clif Mojo bar. This is the first thing I will change next time. Must have calories before we start.

Anyway, off we went. And about 6 min into the run a guy runs between us, brushing us both. He was a young black guy, red sweatshirt (hood up), black cargo shorts and black leather high top sneakers. And he smelled like maybe he was homeless. Or he hadn’t washed his sweatshirt in a long time. My first thought was that he picked our pockets, but my credit card was safely zipped into my fuel belt and Chad didn’t have anything valuable on him. And then about a block away I realized my gel was gone from my back pocket. I didn’t check very well, but I’m guessing I didn’t leave it at home. It was sticking out and would have been clearly visible to anyone. Oh well, not a major loss.

I was actually a little chattier than Chad going out. We kept our HR in zone 1-2. Finally we turned around at 50 min. My mood started to slide and things started to hurt. I probably should have taken the gel when Chad offered it. I had a blister forming on my right pinkie toe and it was painful. I was trying not to adjust my stride, but every footfall made me wince. But before I knew it we were running up Capitol Hill, my HR skyrocketed to 163 (from about 152) and there was just 10 min left.

Every time we had to stop for a light I was getting light headed. Can you say Bonk? And then, finally, we were home. I was actually as sweaty as Chad. And I weighed 114.8 – probably 4 pounds lighter than I should have.

A little Endurox for recovery and some yummy banana bread for breakfast. At work I nursed Gatorade all day. I’m not looking forward to the next long run. But hopefully by next Wednesday I forget about all the pain. Some anti-blister power in the socks will probably help. And I will eat at least one gel and drink some Ensure before we start.