boo-ya!

Let's just cut to the chase:

16 miles is finito!

I did it! And all by myself, too! And surprisingly faster than I thought it would go.

Let's back up a little, shall we?

Remember how I got the blister from hell on Thursday's run? I was dreading having to run 16 miles with blisters in the same shoes. So what's a girl to do? Go shopping, of course!

On Friday evening I picked up these babies:

Nike Pegasus +26

Yes, Nikes. I never expected Nike to have stellar running shoes, but once my feet slipped into them, I knew this was the right pair. And check out the cool colors.
The best thing about having new shoes is the increased motivation to run! (a full shoe review to come later)

The Run:
Woke up Sat morning, fueled up, stretched, and got dressed in my new running shirt I picked up in Hawaii:

I drove down to Goleta beach with the intention of running 4 four-mile segments on the bike/walking path.

Miles 1-2: Slow and steady, just warming up. It was quite cold and breezy, but once I started running, it turned out to be the perfect running weather. Score!

Mile 3: I had taped up my blisters really well, but they started to hurt again. Not a friction kind of hurt, but just the constant pressure on it hurt. I just crossed my fingers that they will hold up for the next 13 miles and kept going.

Mile 4: Done with 25%! Turn around and realize I'm running against the wind. Crap. I get side stitches. Crap! I eat a shot block to cheer myself up.

Miles 5-6: Doubt creeps in from every which way. Will I really be able to run 10 more miles? Or will I pass out....? When is this run gonna be over? Garrrrgh wish I had a running partner!

Miles 7-13: Bingo! Intense case of Runner's HI....er runner's high. Miles 7-13 were great: I was going at a great pace, breathing was on track, I switched from running on pavement to running on dirt, all the doubt had vanished, and I was actually having fun! Who knew "16 miles" and "fun" could possibly go together?

Mile 14: I knew I had to at least get to 14, cause I've done that distance before. As soon as I got into personal distance record area, I got a boost of motivation.

Miles 15-16.2: Pure Pain. Oh how my legs hurt! My ankles, my knees, and my hips were all screaming at me to stop. I just kept counting to 100 steps over and over and over again. This mindless task helped me get to 16.2 miles. By that time, I probably was running slower than I walk, but heck, I made it! In less time than I expected!

Wooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! Boo-ya! 16 miles, baby! I thought running the same 4 mile segment 4 times would get boring, but it actually turned out to be a great thing: I knew exactly what to expect when, and it was kind of comforting to pass the same trees and the same lamp posts over and over again.

But super duper hells ya! 16 miles is now officially crossed off my "to-do" list.

However. Though the run was a very positive experience, it did remind me (yet again), how WEAK my hips are. Especially my right hip. I've been to the physical therapist for this problem, and it was doing great for a while, but the longer distances are starting to aggravate my hip. The problem is that my muscles aren't strong enough to keep my hips stable as they run. They kind of sa-shay back and forth, and over a long distance, it really starts to hurt my nerve in the hip/thigh. It feels great after a lot of stretching and a lot of rest.

This means that until the marathon, I am really going to focus my energy on stretching and strengthening my hips. Can we say hello yoga?

So yes. That's my plan. What I promise to write up this week: my thoughts on Food Inc and my own eating habits, Nike shoes review, and my Stellar blister fix.

A huuuuuugggggeee big congrats to the Chicago Marathon runners! Wooooo!!!

Cheers!

PS- completely random, but I get such a crack out of people with vanity plates the same as the car brand. Like people whose license plates says "Benz" because they drive a Mercedes, or "x3" cause they drive a BMW X3 series. Like, it's not enough for you to drive a fancy car; you need to make double sure that not a single person misses that fact. Ok, ok, I get it! You drive a sick car! But did you trade in your creativity for that car or somthing?