Only two days until my first run of 17 miles, and I am very excited. I suppose that it is also normal to feel a small bit of apprehension when we are about to undertake a challenge that we previous had not thought of. I remember in the past as I heard others talking about running 8, 12, or 16 miles I would think “Yeah, good for you. I see no reason to fun that far”. And now here I am doing it myself, and lovin’ it.
I am pretty much ready for the run, with only a couple of concerns. First, I ordered some gel from Hammer Nutrition and it is supposed to arrive tomorrow. (One day before my run.) Although the FedEx site shows it as on time, I am still nervous that it will get here. I suppose it is not the end of the world if it doesn’t get here, but I will feel much better with the nutrition for such a long run.
Another concern is that we are having a birthday party for my son on the same day as the run. My run should be finished around 8:30’ish, and at 11:00 our house should be filling up with 11 year old boys full of energy and their parents wanting entertaining conversation. Oh my! I am sure that after the party is done I will be ready to drop on the nearest flat surface for a much needed nap. Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z
All of this is happeneing as I am learning how my body reacts to breaking the 30 miles per week barrier. So far it has been OK, but I am really feeling the miles as it feels good yet very tiring. For those of you non-runners or short distance runners, it is kind of like the feeling you get when you pull an all-nighter. You feel less alert, and sort of groggy. (At least that is how it feels to me.) A good nap usually takes care of it, but it is strange to feel this way when you know you had a good nights sleep followed by another run. Yes, it is an experience I will never forget. I can say that my body is learning to deal with it a little better each week.
As long as I keep my nutrition levels up I should be OK. (If anyone else knows of remedies, without those terrieble energy drinks, please feel free to comment them.)