Yesterday I ran 26 miles. I am very sore today, but more than that I have a sort of mental fatigue that comes from all over exhaustion. The last longest run is by far the worst part of doing the Galloway program. You have all of the work and pain of running 26 miles without crowds cheering you on or the adrenaline of other runners carrying you. It's just you and your legs and your brain trying to get through it.
The best part of this day was sleeping in so that I could be well rested for my endeavor. I am glad I did it, but this clearly does not prepare me for getting up early on race day. For breakfast I had my usual bacon and a bagel and two cups of black tea. Not exactly the breakfast of champions, but it is what my body knows. I also took 3 advil to prepare my body for what it was about to do, a sort of apology in advance.
There is an 8 mile loop that begins and ends at my house which I did twice. These first 16 were pretty easy although the temperature was a little warm. I have been having some problems with muscle weakness in my left leg and this was noticeable but not so bad. I packed two twenty ounce water bottles, a 12 ounce water bottle and gus. My strategy is to run for 45 minutes, take a gu, and then take gus every 30 minutes. It seems to work. Any more than that and I get GI distress and any less than that I feel like I get weak.
After the first 16 I did two more five mile loops around my neighborhood (in a global sense). Between all of my loops I would swing by my house, switch out water bottles, add gus, and drink six ounces of Asea, a salt water solution which is supposed to help with inflammation. I also used the rest rom, not because I had to, but because it was there, and there was no where else on my loops should the need arrive.
Usually on my long runs it is the incremental increase in mileage where I feel the pain. Because of my sore left leg the last ten were challenging. I was annoyed by the early fatigue, but considering I had run 16 without complaint I took it in stride (pun intended). The only way I can manage the mileage mentally is to listen to my Integrative Nutrition ipod. I listened to David Katz and Mark Hyman, both of whom I had heard at the Integrative Nutrition conference in New York and then some one speaking about nutrition and mood disorders, especially as they relate to neurotransmitter and amino acid deficiencies.
The last five miles were brutal, even my cell phone died so I am not sure of the exact mileage that I did. I know it was at least 26 and perhaps 26.2. My phone got too tired and shut down. I could definitely relate. My left leg was weak and I started experiencing knee pain in my right leg, perhaps from compensating for my left leg. My back also tightened up. Looking at my shadow running, it looked stiff and rigid and uncomfortable.
When I made it home for the last time I tried to stretch, but even that was beyond my ability. I felt like a washcloth that had been wrung dry. I was a bit light-headed and definitely in pain. I inhaled some yogurt with some superfoods in it to replenish my body enough to get through a shower.
The shower was also brutal as all of the chaffing spots burned when the water hit them. Apparently, my sports bra had been chaffing on my back and I knew already that under my arms was pretty raw. These lovely chaffed spots usually take about a week to heal. My husband was kind enough to heat up some leftovers for dinner so that I could take some more advil.
Eating after running that long is an interesting thing. On the one thing you are incredibly weak and need nourishment, but there is also a little bit of nausea too and you feel too tired to eat. I ate some pasta and some deviled eggs and two fried onion slices plus a Orgain, organic chocolate milk with extra protein. Clearly not a meal taken from the training books, but it got the job done. I will say that although I was exhausted it was very difficult getting to sleep last night because of the muscle pain.
Today had my beautiful seven year old not woken me up, I may have slept all day. I was bone tired and felt very very heavy. My left leg continues to give me grief, not wanting to support my weight. I went to the chiropractor today and she really helped. I can almost walk without a limp and I imagine it will be even better tomorrow. What I was not expecting was the foul mood that accompanies the pain. I thought I would be happy in my long run accomplishment, but mostly I am exhausted and easily agitated. I put on some B-12 patches to help clear the storm clouds over my head and hopefully get some energy back.
If you are reading this, thank you for your support on this journey. I know that running a marathon is a bit excessive, and one should expect their body to not appreciate it. What has kept me going is knowing that I am doing this in honor of my mom and that so many people are cheering me on.
No comments:
Post a Comment