Longest run of my life

Last Sunday, I ran just over 25km! This was the longest run of my life by several kilometres, and guess what? I didn’t die. Yay! What’s more: I actually felt pretty decent about it.

As part of our training for Around the Bay, Graham and I set out to run between 22 and 25km. I wasn’t really feeling it. I mean, it seemed like a nice day for a run, but something more in the 5-7km range. I would have much preferred grabbing a latte and wandering down Bloor Street, but alas, our big race is only a few days away so it was critical that we get that ultra long run in before race day.

I overdressed. Despite the fact that winter seems never-ending, we conveniently picked the one Spring-like day to run. Anticipating frigid temperatures, I put on my regular attire including my new jacket from the Chilly Half, and I was too hot. I spent the whole run with my jacket tied around my waist. Because that’s a good way to look cool.

Even though it was sunny, it was also very wet. Everything was so muddy and melty, which was super unfortunate because I just washed my bright yellow running shoes. Fact: clean running shoes make you run faster. The good news is, I know the perfect way to wash my shoes once Spring actually does make an appearance.

Because it was so wet and sloppy, we had to abandon our run along the beltline. It was just too gross. If it wasn’t ankle-deep mud puddles, it was lumpy ice everywhere and I was not about to fall and crack my face open or roll an ankle so close to race day. So we made our own course.

We got near our place, and even though I was out of water and feeling pretty tired, I started to get competitive with myself. We had already run 22km. Could I push it to 23? 24? With every couple of minutes, I started fantasizing about how far I would go. Ultimately, I decided I’d stick with 25. I mean, let’s not go crazy.

I felt excellent and happy. Especially when my Nike+ GPS sportwatch showed little fireworks to congratulate me on my longest run ever!

Once our run was over and we showered and refuelled, we decided to go out and do tasks. This proved to be a bad idea. Turns out you’re pretty tired after a 25km run and wandering around The Bay was unpleasant. My knee also started to hurt which never happens. It actually hurt to the point of limping for a few days after that run (unless I walked with my foot pointed out to the side – which looked pretty strange). It’s better now, and I’m being kind to myself till Around the Bay. I am envisioning more days of flat shoes and limping in my future.

Are you running Around the Bay? Any tips for this newbie about to tackle her longest distance ever?