My Almost 20 Mile Run

So, this past weekend, I decided I was going to try and do my 20 mile run.  Originally, I was going to do it Saturday  morning, but my husband and I had so many errands to run, that I decided to push it back to the afternoon.  The temperature outside was cold, in the low 30s, but there wasn't a lot of wind.  Now, I am a wuss in cold weather, but I needed to get my run in, and I thought that if I bundled up I would be o-kay.  Here is my outfit:

Look at all of that reflective material!
Let's see how many different brands I'm wearing.  Nike jacket, Sugoi long sleeve shirt, Saucony tights, Saucony gloves, and Under Armour hat.  Oh, and of course I wore my Brooks Racer ST 4s!!

And, I know it's all black, but these things are all perfect for cold weather running.  Plus, black is slimming...right?? :)


Before I get to my run, I just have to say that my Saucony gloves ROCKED!!  All of the features were AWESOME!  My Hammer gels may have been a little frozen, but my fingers never were!  The wind actually picked up while on my run and the wind mitts were a godsend!  I honestly cannot say enough good things about these gloves.  I have been looking for gloves like these for a long time, and I am so happy I found them!!  Seriously, if you are in need of some cold weather running gloves, run, don't walk, and buy these for yourself!  OR, if you know someone who needs some awesome gloves, these would make a great stocking stuffer!

Enough rambling!  So, I headed out around 1:45 and my legs felt great!  I saw a couple of other people on the trail, but I think the cold kept most people in their homes.  Around mile 5, my stomach started grumbling a little bit.  Thankfully, right around that time I came upon a parking lot with a port-a-potty.  Phew!  Thank god!  I did my business, hoped that was the last of that, and headed back out.  I was still feeling good and staying warm for the most part.  The wind had picked up a little bit and it started getting a little colder.  I really had to stop myself from picking up the pace just to be done sooner!

Around the 8 mile mark, my stomach started grumbling again.  UH OH!  I knew, from my last 20 mile run, that there was a port-a-potty around the 9 1/2 mile mark.  But, that was still 1 1/2 miles away!  I did some praying and kept on running.  The next 1 1/2 miles were not fun!!  Finally, I made it to the port-a-potty and did my thing once again.  This is probably too much information, but I was in there for a long time!!  I just did not feel good!  My stomach was really upset and all I could think about was how I still had 10 more miles to run.  Plus, the more I stayed in there, the colder I got.  By the time I was done, I was FREEZING!!

 I debated calling my husband to come and get me, but I knew it would take him at least 30 min. to get to where I was.  So, I started running again, hoping that I could make it back to my car.  I actually felt a little better, so I just kept going.

Source  Do you see that menacing look?? 

I started getting really tired around the 14 mile mark.  By this time it was getting close to 4pm and the sun was starting to go down.  I had forgotten when I ventured out at 1:45, that the sun goes down around 4:30 now.  And, when the sun goes down, the temperature drops soooo fast!  It started getting really cold and I just wanted to be done.  It also didn't help that I saw a big coyote cross the path and head into the trees.  It stopped and just stood there watching me.  Around the same time, I heard a shuffling sound behind me and in my mind I imagined a pack of coyotes chasing me.  There have been several accounts of coyotes attacking runners on this trail, and I got a little freaked out.  Just then, some guy and his dog passed me and I swear I jumped like 10 feet into the air.  The guy asked if I was alright and I told him, I had just seen a coyote and he just scared me.  It was kind of funny actually!

When I reached the 15 mile mark, I stopped and walked quickly while I ate my last gel.  I was done...mentally and physically.  This point in the trail is also the worst because you can look across a meadow and see the trail a mile or so ahead of you.  I looked out over to the other side of the trail and just felt completely defeated.  It seemed like it was so far!  But, I also  knew that I only had 4 more miles until I reached the car.  I knew I could do it, but it was so tough.  My face hurt because it was so cold and I just wanted to be warm.  I managed to HTFU just long enough to  make it to my car.  I made it 19 miles and was done.  I figured that was close enough to 20!

I called my husband and told him I was on my way home.  I cranked the heat as high as I could and drove home.  When I got home, I was still shivering uncontrollably and just could not warm up.  To my surprise, my husband had made me some hot chocolate with milk for a recovery drink and to help warm me up!  I took some sips then quickly got out of my running clothes.  I was surprised to find that they were drenched and my hair was soaked!  I sweat so much when I run, even in the cold.  No wonder I started freezing when the sun went down.  I took the longest hot shower, put on my recovery tights, my cozy sweatshirt, then wrapped up in some blankets to drink the rest of my hot chocolate!

This wasn't exactly how I wanted this run to go, but I guess considering I've been sick and haven't done a long run in several weeks, I should have known better.  I probably overdid it a little bit, but I think that if my stomach hadn't revolted and I hadn't have gotten so cold, it would have gone much better.  Hopefully next weekend's long run will be better!

I hope you are all having a great week!  I cannot believe Christmas is on Saturday!!  I'm not sure if I'll post again before Christmas, so I want to wish all of you and your families a very merry Holiday!!  :)