Did you ever have one of those runs where you felt so great the entire time? Where it felt like your body was on autopilot, and your legs were like windmills, and you were just flying down the road without a care in the world?
Today was one of those runs for me - which would be awesome enough in and of itself - but add in the fact that it was a TWENTY-mile run, and there's your wow factor!
Never in my life have I come back from a 20-mile run and honestly felt like I enjoyed the whole damn thing. Every mile, every minute, every step. That was one of the most fun, enjoyable, pleasant runs I've ever had - and did I mention I ran TWENTY miles?????!!!!!!
The weather was a huge factor, for sure. I remember heading out for my 20-milers this summer while I was training for Hartford, stepping out into the July and August heat and humidity, and feeling exhausted before I had even begun.
But today it was crisp and cool - but not too cool - when I got to the beach, and I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise, and I was so excited to get started. Unlike this summer, I wasn't dreading this run. I wasn't consumed by thoughts of how far I had to go, and wondering how on earth I'd ever keep up a reasonable pace for 3 hours.
I was just anxious to get running. So I did. It was in the mid-30s when I started, but I was brave and donned my shorts. I knew I'd warm up quickly, and I had a mid-weight shirt and a light vest on, and gloves and hat, so I figured any chill in my legs at the beginning would be offset by being warm and toasty on top. And I was right!
I also was wearing my compression socks for the first time. I thought I might look completely ridiculous in them, but when I put them on, I decided they made me look like an elite athlete - not ridiculous at all : ) And the super-long socks plus shorts combined for a sort of capri-effect, so the slight chill I felt in my legs was barely noticeable, and gone completely after about 2 miles.
I ran the first loop of the Gansett course. (How awesome it is that I can train on the course every single week if I want to?!) The first loop is 16 miles, and I've run most of it on other long training runs, but there were a few short sections that I'd never run, so I was looking forward to checking them out for the first time.
I was moving along pretty quickly in the first few miles, and kept trying to slow down, but having great difficulty doing so. My body just seemed stuck right around an 8:30 pace. I was a little worried that I was going to pay for that in the later miles, but I was feeling so good, and not running terribly fast, so I didn't stress about it.
One of the sections of the course I hadn't ever run takes you down a small side road out to a lighthouse, which was a nice diversion from the long, straight Ocean Road stretch. Then it's up past another beach, and down toward the harbor in Galilee. The stink of the fishing boats is not always a pleasant thing first thing in the morning, but I do like running through the harbor, and past the Block Island ferry landing (lots of memories tied to that spot).
Then it was on to Great Island - a very small loop through a slightly hilly neighborhood. And let me emphasize - really slight hills. The entire course is flatter than either of the other two marathons I've run, which is going to be a very welcome change.
As I exited Great Island and headed out the escape road from Galilee, the sun was beating down on me, and there was not even a hint of a breeze, and I actually felt a little warm during that one-mile stretch. But that was the only time during the whole run that I felt the least bit uncomfortable. And on a 40-degree day, feeling slightly warm isn't all that terrible. The sun on my face felt fabulous!
At this point, I was at about the 11-mile mark, and still feeling amazing. I felt so amazing that I kept telling myself not to think about how amazing I felt, because I was going to jinx it. I was still running about an 8:30 pace, too, and had kind of given up on trying to slow down.
During every one of my 20-milers this summer, I hit a horrible spot somewhere between the 13 - 18-mile mark. And I was assuming today would be no different. I was waiting for it. And waiting. And waiting.
And it NEVER CAME.
12 miles, 13 miles, 14 miles, 15 miles....right on to the end. Still having fun, still feeling good, still running well.
I had a little bonus around the 13.5-mile mark, too - I met up with two friends from the running club, and they ran the final 6.5 miles with me, which was great. I don't know if I could have kept up the 8:30 pace for those last 6.5 miles - I still felt so awesome, I suspect I probably could have - but I was perfectly fine with slowing down a bit, especially since it meant I'd have company!!!
We did an out-and-back route along the ocean, chatting away, and when we got back to our cars, I had completed 20.43 miles in 2 hours and 59 minutes, for an average pace of 8:43. Yay!!!!!
And I felt good. Really good. Unbelievably good.
When I got home, I still felt good. I was sore, and tired, but not overly so. And my stomach felt great, and I was able to eat right away, which is not usually the case. I think part of the reason my stomach didn't get all icky feeling is that I didn't drink as much water as I did on all my summer long runs. I drank plenty, and was very well hydrated, but I have to drink so much more water when it's hot out, I think it tends to make my stomach really unsettled.
But not this time. It was so nice to be able to refuel without feeling like I was forcing myself to eat.
And then - the energy! Boundless energy, like I've never felt after a 20-miler! Usually I want to lay down and do nothing for several hours. I'm rarely able to indulge that feeling, but I always feel it.
But today was the complete opposite. I felt disappointed that I had nothing planned, and Scott was out with Gabe and Dante, so it was just me and Carmine.
I wasn't about to just sit around the house and let all those good endorphins go to waste, so I showered and changed and brought him to the park for a while. And after we got home, I had all three of the boys out playing in the front yard for nearly 2 hours. (Last week they were out there in full snow gear, this week Dante wasn't even wearing a coat! Between that and my run this morning, I've spent most of the day outside, which is a wonderful thing, since it's almost the end of January!)
Needless to say, this whole experience has definitely given me a huge boost of confidence for Gansett, and has also made me view 20-milers very differently. I know I can't expect them all to go that well, but just knowing that they CAN go that well is very encouraging : )
Oh, and Carmine said a new three-word sentence today - he came over to me when I got home and grabbed at my compression socks, laughing and saying "Mommy big socks." I told him not to laugh - all the cool kids are wearing them : )