Tuesday, May 3, 2011

18 Miles: Tour de Holland

Previous marathon training long runs:

First off, sorry for the lack of posting lately! My life has been insane. This weekend I took a break and headed back to Holland for a weekend of fun and running. Sunday morning I tackled 18 miles. I was super nervous for this run so I planned a fun route that went all around the city.

I started my morning like every other: toast with pb+j and black coffee plus plenty of water.
After getting everything organized, we headed off for 18 miles. Nervous before shot:
I decided to take the long run 3 miles at a time. After every 3 miles, I stopped for either a shot block, Gu or other fuel source plus plenty of water. Before I knew it, we were at the 3 mile mark and stopped near a classic windmill.
Mile 1: 9:48
Mile 2: 9:41
Mile 3: 9:45

Sam came along on bike for part of the run, carried extra water and took pictures. Long runs are always better with a buddy.
Then we trekked on.

Mile 4: 9:59
Mile 5: 9:56
Mile 6: 9:54

A little after mile 6 we passed another Holland landmark: the Heinz pickle factory! It really does smell like vinegar as you go by.
Mile 7: 9:55
Mile 8: 9:57
Mile 9: 9:49

At the halfway point, we stopped at McDonald's for a bathroom and water break. I also had my first ever taste of Gu in the PowerBar Gel Vanilla flavor. Sam accurately captured my reaction. It tasted exactly like frosting out of a can-- and not in a good way.
Soon after this, Sam's bike chain broke. I took off for the next 3 miles by myself, and was surprised at how comfortable a faster pace was.

Mile 10: 9:38
Mile 11: 9:42
Mile 12: 9:37

Once mile 13 hit, I started to hurt. Luckily, we were approaching the lakeshore and it was just what I needed to perk my spirits.
Mile 13: 9:40
Mile 14: 9:51
Mile 15: 9:44

At this point I was so HUNGRY and sick of eating sugar. Sam had come back on a different bike and gave me some of his Clif Bar. We trucked on.

Mile 16: 9:49
Mile 17: 9:40
Mile 18: 9:30
Total: 2:56:01

And we were done! I can't even explain how incredibly happy and proud I was to be done. After nearly 3 hours of running and eating sugar, I was spent.

After picture:
Followed up immediately with my first ice bath! It was super cold, but definitely worth it. I'm not near as sore as I would think after 18 miles.

Post-run meal was at my favorite restaurant: New Holland Brewery
A great IPA, greek pizza and a giant salad. Ultra yum.

Followed up with a cake batter + oreo combo from Coldstone for extra calories.
How do you fuel after long runs?

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