A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

A blog about my life, fitness and fun! (...and maybe a few cat pictures...)

Sunday, August 30, 2015

12 miles! (I missed that LONG run feeling!)

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I ran 12 miles yesterday! This was the longest I have run in over a year, if you can believe that! I don't know where to start, so I'll start right at the very beginning. (It's a very good place to start!)

The weather was gorgeous. It was warm and sunny but not too hot. It was my first weekend after 5 days teaching and I was really enjoying the freedom! I loaded up my MP3 player with pod casts (thankfully it decided to work), slapped on my visor, and hit the streets! 

(Oh, many of you asked how I manage to run with diarrhea. Well, there are two port o johns in my neighborhood as well as one in a nearby park. During this particular run, there would be times I would be a little farther from a toilet than I would like, but I brought some TP with me in case I had an emergency and needed to duck into some trees! Nothing was going to keep my from my long run!)



I mapped out my route beforehand so that I wouldn't have to look down at my Garmin. I didn't want to worry about my pace. I just wanted to get my miles done and check my pace after. Well, I did end up looking at my pace around Mile 9 and it was hovering around an 8:30, so I could not complain about that. 

Before I hit the road, I thought about doing 11 or 12 miles. 11 would have been fine, but 12 just seemed way cooler. I would feel like I really did a long run. I wanted to have that tired, achy RUNGRY feeling that I missed so much! I thought 12 miles would give that to me, so that was my goal!



The run itself actually went great! I was in podcast land for most of it, so that made the time go fast. When I was done, I yipped out loud: "12 miles!" No one heard, but it was fun to say! I cooled down with a walk and then spent the next half hour stretching. I needed it!

Oh, I also got to cash in on my RUNGRY feeling because we went to a picnic that afternoon. It is so fun stuffing your face after a long run- especially with things like chicken, ribs, macaroni salad, and spinach dip!

My half marathon isn't until December, and I really don't have any reason to be running more than 12 miles right now, so I think maybe if I stay healthy, I will do some sort of rotation on the weekends where I alternate between 10 and 12 miles, just so I keep a nice long run base going. It will also help me mentally. I mean, I am actually surprised how quickly I was able to build my mileage. Just a month ago I was complaining that running 5 miles was a pain. But once I decided to just suck it up and run more often and get more miles in, it became a lot easier mentally to get these long runs- and even the short runs- done. Running is soooooo mental. It's crazy how it works.

How was your long run this weekend?
What's your favorite type of food to eat when you're RUNGRY?

27 comments:

  1. Yay, way to go!

    Running is so mental. One day this week I struggled through a 4-miler but then the next day I breezed through 6. If we don't have our heads in the game every step can be a pain in the ass.

    I don't have a specific thing I like to refuel with. It's usually whatever food pops into my head around mile 10. Once that food item enters my mind I can't stop thinking about it the rest of the run! A lot of times it is a Chipotle chicken bowl.

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    1. Mmmm that is a great post long run meal! I sometimes get ideas stuck in my head too about what I want to eat.

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  2. Nice job on 12 miles. That is awesome! I don't run long--today was my typical 5 miles (but not as speedy as yesterday--ha!). That being said, I feel like I still get rungry!

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    1. Ooh nice! Runger is the best. Sometimes I get lunger- hungry cause of lifting. I just made that up.

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    2. I get lunger, too "life hunger". I am a bottomless pit most days.

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    3. That's because you are so active! Lunger. We could start dictionary.

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    4. ...as are you! Being active is my life, but girl can definitely appreciate the lazy time, too! It's all about balance.

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  3. When you wrote the title to this, were you singing in your head to the tune of "'You've Lost that Loving Feeling"? Because that's what I heard!

    Great job on your 12 miles!!

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  4. No long run this weekend...I had a long bike ride! Rode 30 miles. This is in the rotation, and I did it last year. It worked well. For half training, I just do "ladders" 8, 10, and 12 milers in succession. Keeps my endurance but backing down to 8 every 3rd week gives my legs a break.

    I heard You've Lost that Loving Feeling too! Glad it wasn't just me!

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    1. I'm glad you had a great long bike ride. Ladders sounds great! I could most certainly throw an 8 in there when I need a break.

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  5. First 12-miler in over a year? That must have felt AWESOME! Well done.

    Haha → “cash in on my rungry feeling.” So true, right? Seriously, there is something rewarding about food after a long run! My favorite food after a long run is a burger and sweet potato fries. With bacon. And avocado. So amazing.

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    1. It did feel great! It gave me a confidence boost as well.

      Your favorite long run food sounds awesome. I either crave something salty like that or a big stack of pancakes with SYRUP. Pretty much, whatever I don't eat on the reg. :)

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  6. It makes me so happy to see you running again! I'm slowly building up my mileage on the weekends and this weekend only called for 5 miles but it still felt awesome! My favorite food to eat after a long run is pizza or macaroni and cheese!

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    1. Thank you Courtney! Mmmmm that sounds delish! 5 miles is a great distance, I'm glad you felt good. :)

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  7. 12 miles? Awesome!! How was your knee? I'm thinking you had a knee issue recently. I had a knee issue about 10 months ago and slowly it has disappeared (ooops, shouldn't have said that out loud). Also, what podcast(s) did you listen to? I'm always in search of something new.

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    1. Yes I have had knee/itb issues forever now... it ebbs and flows but things were okay during my run! After it was a little tender that night but nothing huge. Can't complain!

      I listen to Rob Has A Podcast which follows Survivor and Big Brother, but you prob aren't interested in that! Other favs are Stuff You Should Know, Stuff You Missed In History Class, Freakanomics, Serial, Skeptoid, Savage Lovecast... hmmmm that's all I can think of. Oh and Criminal!

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    2. Oh wow, you have a ton of podcasts on your list. Guess what, I am a HUGE Survivor fan. Love it!! The Amazing Race is another show our family watches together, but I have never watched Big Brother. I'll have to look up some of your podcasts. I have been listing to one from Snooki lately. Mindless, entertainment babble. That kind of stuff is fun when I don't have a real human with me to gossip with :)

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    3. Then you HAVE to listen to Rob Has A Podcast!!! He Podcasts about Amazing Race too!!!! robhasawebsite.com or subscribe to Rob Has A Podcast on Itunes. He posted one last week called 7 things you need to know about Survivor Second Chances. YOU. WILL. LOVE. ROB. Best Survivor Podcast out there!

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    4. I will definitely check it out. It makes me a bit sad when most of my running happens indoors for the winter. I miss listening to podcasts!

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  8. Nice job on that 12 miler!!! You will be way prepared for your December half FOR SURE - Love your idea of keeping your base up through then. Great job!

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    1. Thanks! Yeah I love running lawn but I don't need a HUGE base.

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  9. Nice job! I hadn't run more than 10 miles (except for a 14-mile trail run) in several months. Then, two weeks ago, I decided to run a half marathon that the local running club puts on every year. That was the stupidest idea I've ever had, but I was proud of myself for finishing. And it wasn't even my worst time ever. I did, however, finish 6 minutes slower than last year. That just shows how undertrained I am. There's nothing quite like the long run feeling!

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    1. Well I hope you had fun at your race at least! :)

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  10. There isn't anything quite like that long run feeling. I have it right now and we are going out for nachos in a few minutes because we both hit 20+miles today. I think we should call the restaurant and warn them. Fantastic job on getting in some high mileage. :D

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    1. Oh dang congrats on such a LONG RUN! :) I love that your go to meal is nachos! :) Enjoy your night out!

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