Sixteen flippin' miles

We did our 16 mi run today. 16 miles. Sometimes I think - 16 miles? Big deal, you still need to get through 18 and 20 mile runs! On the other hand, it’s my longest distance to date. Plus, I would be geeked out if I did an 8 mile run and this is twice that!

I think this is the week that I’ve started to get really excited for my upcoming marathon. It’s really starting to hit me that this is gonna happen. I mean, it’s one thing to pay your money and sign up and tell people that you’re going to do it... but I’m well on my way to actually being able to do it! But don’t worry, I won’t get too ahead of myself – as I’ve mentioned, I still have some longer distances to cover first. But so far, everything feels good! (Knock on wood!)

I’m really starting to enjoy these long runs. But I would never be able to do them on my own. Nike has them so well organized – I love it! The course was similar to last week’s 14 mi run but this time we went a little bit along Great Highway and then ran the entire length of Golden Gate Park before returning back to the marina.

It’s funny because I was really struggling in the beginning – even though I had two days rest, I just felt tired and I wasn’t sure if was going to be able to keep up with my pace group. But after the first three miles, it got better and then you’re just in auto-pilot mode. Having the group is great because everyone’s so supportive – either we’re all complaining together (haha) or finding ways to motivate each other.

I never wear my iPod anymore for the Nike runs and it’s totally fine. I don’t get bored and it’s kind of nice just to focus on myself and my running. :)

It took us a long time to finish – almost four hours! Sometimes, I don’t even feel like I ran a 16 mi course. More like we were on a 16 mile sightseeing tour of a bunch of water stops in SF. During the group runs, I just focus on getting to the next aid station, not really finishing the course. It’s weird taking off from the marina knowing you’re not going to be back for several hours – I feel like I should have a backpack with me or something (right now, it’s just my car key).

And as usual, we were the last ones back to the home base – heehee. BUT the perk of that was that we got to partake in some homemade rice krispie treats that someone had made for all the Nike pace leaders. Yum, yum.

Next week – 18 frickin’ miles!!! And then recovery week...