LSD 16.5miles!!

Finished 16.5miles on Sat. Goal was 18 miles, made up 0.5miles of my 2 mile lag, next time another 0.5m and so on.

Friday went to sleep late , watched Miss Congeniality with the 13yo since it was one of those rare times when she asks for my company. Slept at 11 Pm. And before I knew it , it was 4 AM. Had to peel myself from the bed. Ate half a PBJ, got my banana, keys, phone, and out of the door by 4.30 AM.

It was so dark!and still. No movement on the street, obviously at 4.30 AM, and I guess that was good. Heart rate went up with each step I took, I think I have never covered that .72mile so fast. Met GB at the jucntion and off we went. It was still, no breeze so that was a bit uncomfortable. But it got better in another 30 min or so. Walked the first 2 miles, then started R/W. The first 5 miles were OK, we took a water break at a McDonalds, laughed about how some storeowner previously had refused outrightly to give us a cup for water. We talked and carried on but then she got a bit tired and hungry?maybe? thirsty? so we tried to finish this half of the session as fast as we could. The plan was to do 2 sessions of 9 miles with a water break at her apartment.

By the time we reached her apt at the end of the 1st 9 mile session, she was too tired and hurting everywhere. So she decided not to do the 2nd session. I was feeling OK at this point so I carried on. The sun had come out by this time-7.10 AM, so I decided to walk on the shaded sections of the road. Did some R/W and she called in maybe 15 min asking me to come back , saying she wanted to join me. I dont know what happened- was it the cold water/juicy plum/resting on a chair/our mom saying 'oh my poor kid', something rejuvenated her so that when I reached her 15 min later, she was all set to do another 10 miles.

I, OTOH , was completely drained by this time. I went to her apt, drank some water and sat down. The bottoms of my feet were burning, my left foot was acting up, my knees were sore- I just did not want to walk or run or whatever. GB took me out again, we did 3.5 miles, all credit goes to her. She started telling me some gossip about some friends of hers and believe it or not, kept speaking for the whole 3.5 miles!! I was very very pleasantly surprised to see the apt again in 55 min.

On the whole, a good session. Tho' that niggling thought at the back of the mind that I still havent caught upto the required session. Avg speed was 16.3minmile. Required is 14.30minmile. I didnt factor in the breaks we took because I am sure we will be taking those during the marathon too.

Points to note:
PBJ before the LSD and banana during works for me as far as food is concerned.
I need to carry water- I overlook it 'cos I am too lazy , but it is required during the long runs.
Icing the knees is a must after the workout. It helps with up and down the stairs later.

Just a thought: for all those runners who run at great speeds and feel that the turtles should not spoil their marathon experience- yesterday while doing the 16.5 miles I felt as much pain, discomfort as any other elite runner. Yes I took 4 hours to complete and did not puke on completion, but my effort was not any less. This thought came after reading an article in the latest Runners World on racing etiquette, how slow runners and walkers spoil it for people running for personal bests. U know what , they should have a race just for people who take more than 5 hours to complete a marathon. Then, watch me!!

Yest. and today spent the whole day at the soccer fields for the 13yo soccer tournament, yest was a bit sore and tired, but today am back to normal.
Rest today, run tomorrow.