Epic 18 Miles

Hi blog world. I’ve been mia for a VERY long time. Things have been very busy. I was promoted at work and that means a lot more work with some additional pressure. So I’ve been spending quite a bit of my time on work stuff, including even on the weekends. 😦

Plus, I hit a bit of a running slump. The past two weeks were really tough. Hubby and I traveled to Utica last weekend and because of the freezing temps and a boatload of snow, I wasn’t able to get my 11 mile run in. I hate missing long runs – it makes me feel less ready and confident.

So I knew that I had to run my 18 miles this Saturday, come rain, snow, laziness or whatever.

Week 11 – 18 Mile Long Run
I headed out to Central Park around 10:15 a.m. after a lazy and procrastinating morning. I was nervous but didn’t want to admit it. Long runs usually go one way or the other for me, really great or really bad. So I set off and right away things felt good.

I was having some major issue with my sneakers a few weeks ago. For about three years now, I’ve been running in Asics Gel Cumulus 11. Well – they stopped making the 11 model and I had to move up to 12. They did not work with my feet. The ball of my left foot was constantly sore and my toes were blistering like crazy. After much research on underpronators (I roll to the outside edge of my foot), I ended up tossing the Asics and buying the Saucony Grid Ignition 2. At a mere $59, these sneaks were much less expensive than the $100 Asics and my first long run with them put them to the true test. The result – a win for me! They felt great and my feet were comfy cozy.

Anyway, back to my run. After being delighted by how my sneaks were performing, I found myself entering Central Park for two full loops. I decided to bring my iPod along this time, since a nearly 3-hour run can get very boring. After mile two I turned on some tunes and rocked out around the CP loop twice. My first loop was fast! Way too fast if I’m being honest. But running up the big hill at the north end felt easy, so I just went with it. The second time I went up that hill, things slowed down quite a bit and began to feel some tension in my quads.

As I made my way around my second loop and back to the UES, I knew that completing my 18 miles was no long a question – it was going to happen. I had it. I exited Central Park at 90th Street and headed to the East River Promenade to finish things up. For some reason, the last two miles of my run were rough slow-going. My legs felt so heavy, there was just no picking up any speed.

But at last, I made it back home and finished up my epic 18 mile run in just under 2 hours and 38 minutes!

Here’s my route and splits:

And now I’ve got my running mojo back and am more excited than ever for Boston! I needed that epic run to get my mind right. Next weekend is  a scale back to 13 miles, but then the weekend after will be my first 20 miler!

After my run I rolled my legs out like crazy, but am still feeling some residual soreness today. Hubby and I had a low-key night last night, which included a fabulous steak dinner with potato wedges and salad and a bottle of wine while we watched The Other Guys. Gotta say –  not so impressed with that movie. I kept waiting for it to get really funny and it just never did. Disappointing.

So how is everyone else out there doing with their running?! Are you guys as ready as I am for winter to be over?!!