Sweet 16

I figure it's a good time for an entry because A) I just had (another) longest run yesterday, B) it's not nice outside, and C) I just watched "Taken" with Liam Neeson and need to make myself think now.

I'm going to start with C. There are two things that I learned from watching this movie. The first is that the American authorities and for that matter, the French, don't care about traveling American girls who get kidnapped and sold into prostitution. Second, meeting a pop star and getting singing lessons from her is much more important than going to counseling and dealing with an excruciatingly horrible experience and death of your best friend.

By now, you're probably wondering why this post is titled "Sweet 16." No, well, I'm going to tell you anyway. I've come up with a terrific idea for a new reality show. On a girl's 16th birthday, instead of getting a party, they make her run 16 miles. I would definitely watch as she complains for the whole two and a half hours about how all she wanted was a new Saab, and Beyonce at her party.

Wow, talk about digression. The above paragraph is neither fully accurate or interesting whatsoever. I'm not sure why I'm keeping it. I'll just say it's because of the economy.

The real reason for this entry's title is that yesterday I ran 16 miles, making this the third weekend in a row that I can say, "I just finished my longest run ever." And even better news is that I completed the run in the same amount of time it took me to run 15 miles the previous week, and it was on a much harder course, full of fun hills. All the work must be paying off.

I'm aiming to run 18 miles next weekend so watch out for that update.

Weekly Update #4 - Midterms

I know it may be a little early for midterms but I wanted to report on my first and only of the semester - the Sedona Half-Marathon. Not only was this my first half-marathon but also my longest run ever. Despite these intimidating words - first, longest - I went into the race very confident that I'd 1)finish and 2)post a decent time. I'm glad to report that I was correct in both respects.

I drove up last Friday to spend a night in Sedona and get acclimated to the increased elevation. If memory serves, the average elevation of the course is 4000 feet, quite a bit higher than I'm used to in Boston. I woke up around 6 the next morning, had a light breakfast and made my way to the start. Because you have to get there early to get a parking spot, I then spent the next hour or so hydrating myself while I watched the sun rise. All I can say is that I wish I had brought my camera with me.

Fortunately, the forecast of rain and temperatures hovering around 40 didn't hold and it ended up a beautiful morning. It was funny seeing other runners in fleeces, gloves, and hats when it was about 50 degrees out. It felt like summer to me.

The race couldn't start soon enough as I was anxious to test myself. Finally, 5 minutes after eight the half-marathon started. The first half-mile was brutal for 2 reasons 1) it is completely down hill, probably 25% or so, and 2) I felt some tightness on the outside of my knee. After the ground leveled out, however, and once I warmed up, it wasn't a problem.

I paced myself as best as I could for the first 6.5 miles, trying to take it easy on the downhills and saving my energy for the uphill climbs. I actually felt really good doing this. There was one woman who passed me on every downhill stretch but who I would then pass whenever we had to go uphill. It was like doing an indian run with a complete stranger.

At the halfway point I clocked in at 1:04, a little faster than my training pace but I didn't feel too tired and was ready for the second leg (here comes the but), but around mile 9 (my previous longest run), my legs and body started rebelling. Fatigue started and even with frequent water stops and energy bars/gels, it wasn't enough to keep me going. I probably ended up walking for a total of .75 miles or so, most of which was uphill. I was able to regain some composure around mile 10 and get a nice stretch of running in. All the while I was walking, the only thing I could think of was my time. I thought I wouldn't even make it in 2:30 minutes. So, you can imagine my elation when approaching the finish line and seeing myself finishing at a much faster clip than I had calculated. I guess that just shows you that you shouldn't try doing math while running.

My final time: 2:18:10. For the midterm, I'd say that's a B+.