So, my long run for the week was 18 miles – longer than I have ever run before!
I have to admit, I was a wee bit nervous about it. I logically knew (or at least was pretty sure) that I could do it, but 18 miles… 3 hours of running… Wow, that’s a long time! But it was on the schedule (and after all, 26.2 is even longer…) so I headed out at 10 am on Sunday.
My goal was to maintain a 10 minute per mile pace, so I really concentrated on that with some success. While I took a different route than my 14 miles (something about needing to do 4 more miles..), the ending 5 or 6 was the same..
I was kind enough to high light the 2 mile hill in my elevation chart. At mile marker 13.06 (the bottom of the yellow), runtastic lists my elevation as 22 feet. Mile Marker 15.47 (top of the elevation chart) it is 187 feet. That was a fairly steady climb of 165 feet over 2.5 miles, with the final climb being 121 feet at 15.26 to 187 feet at mile marker 15.47. That is 67 feet in less than a quarter of a mile! I was actually doing quite well until that point, but that final steep climb.. Well I got through it by promising myself I could walk a little when I hit the 16 mile mark.
And I did.
If you do look at my pace-per-mile chart, you will notice that mile 11 added 3 or 4 minutes. That was the point where I went into a store to buy more water. The store-stop was actually one of the cooler parts of the run as the store-clerk asked me if I was running, and how far. When I told him I was at mile 11 of 18, the folks around me were amazed.. I heard comments such as “That’s just nuts!”
It made me feel good!
Overall, the run was great – though the last two miles HURT!!!! I think I will be ready for the Marine Corps Marathon. The Plantar Fasciitis is still there, but bearable now, even after 18 miles!
As a question for you, my readers.. Are long runs supposed to always leave you siting in a chair unable to move because you are in agony? Or is it just me?
I run, because I am a runner. Having realized that I have always "been a runner" - even when I went years with out running, I am learning how it has integrated itself in all aspects of my life. When I started running in highschool, my perspective on life changed. Funny that I didn't realize how much it had affected it until just recently.
Once and Future Runner 
Congrats!!! Its such a great feeling! I have done several 18 milers and honestly, each one is different. The last three I was able to move around the rest of the day with no issues and even ran 7+ miles recovery the next day (the last one I ran 9 miles).
Thank you! I can say that moving around much didn’t happen for SEVERAL hours after! Even today, I am occasionally taking the elevator instead of the stairs!
Well done.
Awesome Run! I think long runs affect different people differently. I wasn’t completely wiped but I was tired. I know the hills are quite a workout which might have contributed.