Monday, August 22, 2011

Vacation 12 with Coach Jen

Long Run Intro: So I lined up all my things for my 12 miler on vacation. This involves a lot of planning. A lot of packing. A lot of FRETTING! The fretting had to do with high humidity, tired from driving, and past long runs that had not gone well on vacations past.

Good thing Coach Jen came to the rescue:My Coach has come to save the Day! Jen (Number 3 out of 6 kids, my second oldest sister) was my Designated Coach for overcoming a super long run on vacation (Super Long Run to me, longest distance since my half marathon in APRIL!). I was a bit sore, a bit tired, but I had my coach with me. I laced up and by 6:20 (Waiting for sunlight!) I was out the door. She periodically came and found me on the bike, she is not up to doing 12 miles since she is at the tail end of Tri Season.
The good, the bad, and the ugly 12 Miles: I did a 7 mile out and back, and hooked up with Coach Jen for the remaining 5 miles, an out and back on a different route. She handed me the electrolyte pills, helped fill up my water, and shooed me off to keep going. Miles 8-10 were so-so, until Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, decided to shine down on me. UGH. It was SO hot! Mile 11 was a total head trip. Our conversation included, but was not limited to....
- "How can I run 26.2 miles when I can't complete 12?!"
- "I'm a slow poke."
- "I hate this."
- "I have to walk for a second."
- "I need to drink water."
- "I have lead legs."
- "This is so hard!"
Yup, I was a complainer complainersome, however, coach pushed me through it with some encouraging words...and tough love. SO, 12 miles done at an undisclosed pace (I'm honestly slow and steady, splits etc don't matter to me at this point.) I have to remind myself during those challenging runs: I'm a finisher.

The Aftermath was a bit sore. My knees were SO sore. I know it has to do with walking around in flip flops for the past 3-4 days, being in a car driving, all the great stuff runners need to keep their body cramped and stiff. I did some swimming to relax my legs, took a nap, then sat on the beach all. day. long. And maybe ate a donut in between :-)

She's a brick house: Today I did a 4 mile bike ride with Kate, sister 4 out of 6, and a mile run, and I felt ten times better. Hopefully my 3 mile run and yoga will help me continue to bounce back tomorrow.

Do you work out on vacation??? It's hard work!

75 days until the ING NYC Marathon!!!

...I'm a finisher.

2 comments:

Meg O @watchmegorun said...

great job getting it done, even when you doubted yourself. I try to workout on vacation to make up for the fact I eat so poorly while there. I always feel 100 times better if I do something, even if it's small.

Anna said...

Good job! Yes, I'll be working out on vacation this year...:) We're going to the beach in two weeks so I don't want to lose what I have already done! You're doing great, keep it up!!!!!!!