Road to Disney: Adventures during a 20 MILE RUN

This report is long overdue but it has been.a.week. To say the least.

I took a sort of break this past weekend to reflect on the whirlwind of events of the past week and catch up on my life that was on hold for the duration of it, but the weekend before was my big 20 mile run.

The big one. The longest training run before the Disney Marathon.

I ran 20 miles.

I RAN 20 MILES!!!!

You may have seen it Facebooked. Or tweeted. But this one is IN THE BANK!!

Yeeehawww!

We started at 6 a.m. in the dark at the Dunedin Causeway, which is a 5 mile loop. It was warmer than it was supposed to be but a cold front started blowing through about a half hour after we started.

I spent two days before the run hydrating with water and alternating with Gatorade (because it is possible to oversaturate your electrolytes with too much water.) I ate a carbo-protein rich lunch because lunch is actually the most important pre-race meal because of the amount of time it takes for your body to process the food. I also ate a nice protein-carbo rich dinner.

In the morning, I ate a half a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and strawberry Polaner All-Fruit and coffee. In the car, I drank an EAS Myoplex carb-sense chocolate protein shake and water. I had a GU and two Hammer Endurolyte pills which are electrolyte pills right before the run.

I packed my water bottle belt with 2 waters and 2 bottles of Hammer Perpetuem, which is a drink that can be used for food along the way.

I also brought about 8 Espresso Love GU gels with me. One for every 30 minutes or so.

Seems like a lot because it is.

We got through the run pretty great! The talking is what kept me going, the stories, the finding of a chalk outline on the trail we ran up to...

After which, the conversation went like this:
Me: Um. Is that real?
Nicole: I don't know. It looks too perfect!
Me: Yeah but you can't have a chalk outline that's all squiggly. That guy would be fired.
Nicole: You're probably right. Should we turn around?
Me: Yeah, I think we should turn around.
And then we did.

And yes I run with a weapon so don't mess with me. Mkay? I will use it. I won't tell you what it is. That's my secret.

I still don't know if it was real. I Googled it and got nothing.

Anyway, at mile 11, my legs started hurting in that concrete stump sort of way and it would go away a little after taking more Endurolytes or GU. But it was really quite annoying because cardiovascularly, I felt spectacular! It was my legs that were on fire.

So I found an article on Running Planet that explained lactic acid pretty nicely along with how to improve my lactic threshold. According to the article, intervals, hill work, tempo runs and endurance runs will all help lactic buildup which is that legs-on-fire feeling I got in my quads which slowed me down.

I ran out of water pretty quickly only having two little bottles and I liked the taste of the Espresso Hammer Perpetuem but I wasn't really up for "eating" during the run. So that was something to think about. I drank one of the bottles and didn't feel like I had room in my stomach for more and was dying of thirst because I ran out of water. Luckily we have a water source along our route so I was able to fill up.

I don't know what I'll do for Disney, perhaps wear the belt with two Perpetuems and 2 waters and count on water stations for the rest of the way maybe. Or maybe just one Perpetuem. Or maybe none! I'm not sure yet.

The end of the run got really hard, my legs were on fire, we had one mile left and we kept chanting "Quick feet quick feet quick feet" and adding something in to make a rhyme, like:
"Quick feet quick feet quick feet
It's all in your head...
quick feet quick feet quick feet.
Wish I was in bed...
Quick feet quick feet quick feet
Only one mile left
quick feet quick feet quick feet
wash your clothes in Dreft (because honestly, what rhymes with 'left'?)
quick feet quick feet quick feet
a little more to pass
quick feet quick feet quick feet
kick its FU**ING A$$!"

Sorry. By mile 20, things tend to get violent.

But I actually sped up using the highly scientific "quick feet" method so it was well worth it.

And we finished! In 3:54:33.

Not too shabby! If I can pick it up for the next 6 miles, I mightcould even break the 5 hour mark in January! Which I'd LOVE to do. That's my secret goal. Breaking 5 hours.

I have another 20 mile run this coming weekend and I hope it goes better! I also have my first personal trainging session on Thursday for some strength training. And also, I went shopping last night for breakfasts, lunches and dinners this week so NO MORE EATING OUT!

Almost to Disney!! Just over ONE MONTH LEFT!