I have gotten really used to completing our long runs with the team and not really running the longer distances on my own, so all of these things were really daunting for me. But I tried not to let it stop me.
I am so lucky to have the team that I have! I found 3 other runners (Leslie, Rocco, and Carolann) that were not going out of town for the holiday, so I coordinated for us all to meet up at DW Fields Park for an earlier long run (thanks to Carolann's suggestion, a 7am run instead of 8am would help us beat some of the heat). My parents also generously agreed to set up a water stop for us at the beginning of the 3.8-mile loop so we could stop for water 3 times during the course.
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| Me, Carolann, Rocco, and Leslie before our 12-mile long run in the heat! |
So, this morning I packed the water, Gatorade, and ice, and headed out to Brockton with the picnic cooler where I met up with my parents and the rest of the runners. I was actually super energetic and in high spirits, which got me off on the right foot.
Leslie and I ran the first loop or two together, and then I pulled ahead on the last lap. I'm pretty good at maintaining my pace for longer mileage, which I think will give me a great advantage on race day ;)
Having my parents there to man the water stop was AWESOME. We definitely wouldn't have made it through all 3 laps without them. I owe them so much for my success this season, and this was just the icing on the cake! There were just sitting out in the sun/shade, reading books and waiting for us to come around to pour refreshments. And they were offering a ton of encouragement :)
It was ridiculously humid, and I was finding it hard to breathe at points. But it was encouraging knowing that the weather in Napa on race day will be really dry and probably a bit cooler. It's like we always say at Team Challenge New England, we train in all conditions so that we're ready for anything!
Sweaty and exhausted, Leslie and I finished our 11.4 miles, and Rocco and Carolann finished 10. We were also joined briefly by Marisa and Amanda who did a loop before throwing in the towel - it was seriously so hot out! It really is the thought of that beautiful run in Napa that kept me going today. That and the encouragement from my mentor, Leslie, who has so much faith in me and would never let me give up. I am so ready for you, Napa!
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| Sweaty and exhausted, but we finished! |
The one downside to today was the pavement. Like I said, we've run this loop before, but only with shorter distances. About halfway through today's run I started getting ankle pain on my right foot. I thought it was just from lack of stretching, so I stopped a few times to to some ankle rolls and calf stretches. Nothing really helped, but I made it to the end in one piece.
It's been a couple hours since I've been home and I did some reading. It turns out that the pain I have in my Achilles tendon is from running too long on uneven ground. Much of the loop at DW Fields Park is uneven or slanted pavement, so the repeated pounding without evening it out on the other side really took a toll on my leg. We're not built to run at an angle, that's for sure! And we were even debating running the last lap in reverse so that we would have a change of scenery, but decided against it at the last minute. What was I thinking?
So 2 weeks out from the big day and I have to take a few days off to rest my ankle, roll it, and stretch it. I'm hoping for a quick recovery so I can get in my last few days of hard mileage before the taper week. I'm really hoping not just to finish my first half marathon, but to set a really good PR. If I could finish in less than 2:30 I would be really happy.
All I have to do now is take care of myself and hopefully the rest will follow.
15 Days and counting!
ashley
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