Final long run done… now the waiting begins…

22 Replies
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Fall is upon us!

Today marked the end of my official training for the FitOne Boise Half-Marathon… my last long run before tapering. I had 11 miles planned, but I ended up going 12.  This was sheer dumb luck, not because the running felt good.  It just happened that way.

wpid-20150913_093648.jpgwpid-20150913_110545.jpgOnce again, James and I set up our “aid station” on our front porch with the various gels and rehydration concoctions.  I was going to run 4 loops around said aid station, with each loop being 2.75 miles.  Nope, never mind.  That got old real quick.  I managed 2 loops with some slight deviation from the same old boring route, which in turn got me some extra distance.  After the 2nd loop, I opted for a normal out and back on the trail as I was getting fed up of running the hills on my loop. I decided to go out for 2.5 and bring it on back for an even 5, but I got picture happy here and there, would pause my watch, take an off-the-record walk break, forget to un-pause my watch, and so on and so forth. That’s how I managed 12.  Kinda sneaky how that works, isn’t it. My phone tracker said I actually accomplished 13.2 miles, but I’m going to have to say, no, I don’t think so, (can’t wait to see how far it clocks me for the actual race, hehe).  The watch measured an unofficial 12.

It was a difficult run.  I was knackered at mile 6, I hurt like holy hell at mile 8, and I had to walk the last mile home.  I used “foot powder” in my socks to help absorb moisture as I’m prone to blisters (see Eugene Marathon 2014).  I also taped my two pinky toes to aid in the prevention of the blisters, something I forgot that I had started doing after Eugene.  Trust me, it’s not my shoes (Brooks Glycerin for long distances and Saucony Ride for shorter distances, both well under their mileage expiration), it’s the wonky skin on my toes.  Probably a result of traversing on the hot Arizona sidewalks in bare feet and sandals my entire life.  And when I got in the shower after my run, the water initially hurt.  It was like the salt from the sweat was burning my skin.  But nothing feels better after a long run than washing your face with some kind of scrub to get rid of all the salt that has built up after so many miles.  (I was smart in that I had covered all the “prone” sensitive areas with Vaseline, so there was no screaming to be done in the shower today).

For our pre-load dinner last night, James made us a fabulous chicken lasagna, hand made from scratch, normal 2-hour prep time, so I told him not to worry about our after-run dinner tonight… I’d take care of that.  We both thought a roast sounded ideal and just yumptuous!  No problem honey!!  I got this!!  (Did I ever mention I don’t cook?)

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All that’s left now is 6 minor runs (3 to 5 miles each) and the waiting… and the worrying… and the nail biting… and the butterflies… I can do this and I will do this… only 13 more days.

Happy Running!!

22 thoughts on “Final long run done… now the waiting begins…”

  2. 50in50marathonquest

    What a great summary, you’ve done awesome on your training and are going to nail a PR in Boise! And, I’m so looking forward to that roast…I cant believe you got that all ready before running 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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  3. mawil1

    I prefer trails too, better scenery and soposedly better for building strength😊 I also quite prefer the solitude rather than traffic and odd looks from non running types! Good luck for your half, no problems if you have done 12 in training!

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thank you so much for the good wishes! The trail I go on is actually a running and biking trail, so it’s relatively flat, but yes, definitely far away from traffic and non running types!! Fabulous scenery too!! 🙂

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thanks!! Yeah, I’m hoping I’m ready!! If I’m not, then too bad, so sad, hehe!! I think I could use about one more month, but I say that every race, 🙂 And I hate when I have less distance than I thought I did because of my equipment!! Irritates me! I used to use Strava live tracker, but when I’d walk it would auto pause and not give me that distance I walked. Annoyed the hell out of me!! Even if I’m crawling, I expect to get credit for just moving forward!! 😉

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  9. chasingdownhealthy

    OH MY GOSH!!! you are awesome, that was awesome! I think your aid station strategy is the best. I always had to carry fluid with me on my training runs and I hated it so much. You’re about to go taper crazy, and I totally feel you! I think you should do the pictures more often, they’re beautiful. Maybe focus on that during your taper, it’ll give you something to fidget with while you wait. It’s the worst, isn’t it? You got through all of that training though, it’s almost time. I’m getting excited for you!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Awww, thank you Dawn!! Yeah, we’re growing fond of our aid station!! It’s working out wonderfully!! I think focusing on the picture taking more right now is a great idea!! But I’m going to try and suck it up on Sunday and run 7 or 8. But after that I’ll be done, I’ll stick to walking until the race!! Ack! I’m so nervous!! 🙂

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  10. Pingback: A Trail of Inspiration | honestme363

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