Saturday, April 24, 2010

16 long miles

The last time I ran 16 miles was 2 months ago. Those 16 miles were followed by an additional 10.2 miles, a medal, and a bout of exhaustion that lasted nearly a month. It was called the Pasadena Marathon. I read recently about instances when runners start losing it during a taper before a big race. I was in a taper for the LA Marathon. Things started to hurt, my mental game declined, and I was in a guilt-ridden mania about what the hell I was doing to my body. So I didn't run LA Marathon. But I ran 16 miles today, and I will run 20 miles the week after next, and then I will San Diego Rock N' Roll, and then New York Marathon. So help me, I will.

So back to the subject of this entry- 16 miles. I joined my LA Leggers pace group for the first 10 miles planning on adding an additional 6 at the end for myself. Our route was 50/50 = 5 miles south and 5 miles north. It's always nice running in a group. Mentor John talked about his Japanese language background and I talked to myself about how I should pick up my Chinese again. He also told me how Los Angeles is the biggest theater scene in the country, which makes sense, since there are all these actors here waiting for something to happen. His dog Sol-Leks also ran with us, putting us all to shame by reminding everyone that running is an activity in which dogs surpass humans. Another activity is being joyous all the time, and not being ashamed to pee in public.

Happily, I wasn't left to do the remaining 6 miles on my own. Jeff joined me for a run along the beach toward Temescal Canyon and back. Flashback to Pasadena Marathon when he and I were running. I don’t know how I managed to finish that one, but if Jeff wasn’t there, I would have left at mile 20 with my mom and step-dad who were there cheering us on.

Today we finished 16 miles. But I was having a hard time visualizing another 10. That may be the most difficult thing. Because once I visualize those extra 10 miles, I know I will be able to do them. There will also be a lot of sideline entertainment at San Diego at New York. Nothing against cow bells, Pasadena.

Next weekend is the Cinco de Mayo Half-Marathon in Irvine. Beer garden at the finish line and mariachis along the race. See you there!

2 comments:

  1. Way to get out there! Love your line about the activities in which dogs surpass humans.

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  2. Hi Kathleen! Sorry I missed you at the victory for victims event. I went to the debriefing and hope they will work on the glitches they had this year, and taken the kids fun run more seriously. Are you doing any legger running on saturdays till the season officially begins?

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