Monday, June 23, 2008

9 Mile Run Check...Hills Double Check

Run Distance: 9 Miles. Run Time: 1:45?

So yea it did take me literally forever to finish those 9 miles on Sunday but at least I did them. I know I had received lots of advice to take the weekend off and I did halfway take it. I took Saturday off and skipped the 6 mile tempo run. My first skipped run that wasn't made up and it did make me feel a little guilty. So I made sure that I got that 9 miler in on Sunday. I was at Andy's house again...(reminder lots and lots of hills). My stomach was still displeased with me a little bit but I was bound and determined to get that run done. I even made Andy go shopping for running shorts with me because I'd forgotten to bring any and I don't really have an enormous supply. Anyways...the run went alright. It was warm but there was a bit of a breeze that really helped. I charged at every hill for the first 7 miles so I was proud of myself for that. (Like how I sugar coat the good before hitting the bad? lol) Anyways, so actually at about mile 6.5 I started to really get sick of all the hills. Almost literally. My stomach was kinda feeling a little puky. But I think that might have been because I am a smarty (not!) and hate the hassle of bringing water with me. So I don't. And what happens? Rachel is looking at every backyard swimming pool and fancy yard fountain like she's some kind of a lost woman in the desert. Anyways, my pace was pretty slow at points of this run as well. I started out okay...at about 9:30. But by the end of mile 1 and a whole heck of a lot of hills...I was creeping by. The funny thing is...I really felt like I was running fast. I was quite disappointed when I hit my I-Pod and the dude said I was only running at like 10:30 or better yet...11:00!! I think I did literally groan out loud at one point when I hit the button and heard 11:00. I blame it on the wind...and the hills. Because really...how in the world does one typically run at about a 9:00 min/mile and then end up running at 11:00? Schnikes! But regardless...I finished the 9 miler. And my legs were doing this funky spasm thing the whole day. Not sure what that was all about. I didn't even realize it until I was looking at my legs later that night and noticed that it looked like a creature was inside of my leg. Andy then told me that he'd seen it after I finished my run earlier in the day so evidently the creature had been in there the whole day.

Congrats to all of the Grandma's Marathon finishers this weekend!! It was a hot one out there!

7 comments:

EmLit said...

I know what you mean about how awful it can be to find out you are running at an 11 min/mile pace! I can't tell you how many times I have hit that button on my ipod only to hear "current pace: 11 minutes 35 seconds per mile". To be honest, it sometimes makes me just want to throw in the towel. I think I should probably just stop hitting that button!

SueBob said...

A 9 miler at an 11:00 pace...sounds good to me! :) Oh well, one day I will be there too (I keep telling myself). Good job on the run, and I am glad you are feeling better.

Chris said...

Regardless of the pace, you did great. Sometimes I hate the sound of the Nike+ woman's voice. I rarely hit that button any more.

*jen* said...

Kudos for pushing through and finishing the 9! I don't think I would have been as much of a hard*ss, especially with hills in the mix. Great job!

Don said...

That leg gremlin sounds interesting. Must be from pushing the muscle well beyond what it was accustomed to doing. That may be a good thing! Good for you - you finished it.

Irish Cream said...

Wow--congrats on fighting thru and finishing the 9-miles!

And by the way, I totally think someone should make a short horror film about a runner and her leg gremlin!! Would make for a good flick :)

Tom@RunnersLounge said...

You were probably still feeling the effects on being sick lately on your 9 mile run.

If you were that thirsty admiring the pools and fountains, you might have been dehydrated. We're seldom as well-hydrated as we think. Perhaps you were also low on energy too from not eating enough.

You should be bouncing back to your routine 9 min pace soon.

Hang in there!