One thing that makes training for a marathon and planning a wedding doable is the support of my wonderful fiance. He has done all of the long runs with me, and even stays behind at my slower pace when the rest of the group pulls ahead. It is great to have a running partner to keep me motivated and tell me I'm doing great. He even bought me flowers randomly for sticking with my running and not complaining about it :)
We ran the 13 miles this weekend on the Mount Vernon Trail. There were more hills than I am used to, and my pace was slower than I would have liked. I ended up running 13.24 miles in 2:19 (about a 10:25 pace). My left knee was bothering me. I hope it was just still hurting from being strained while I ran awkwardly due to my blister last week, and hopefully it will be better by next Saturday. But the really good news is that my blister didn't bother me at all! I put some baby oil gel on my pinky toe and then wrapped it in a flexible fabric bandaid. I added some more gel on the next toe so the bandaid wouldn't rub on that toe. There was absolutely no rubbing during the entire run.
So far I've been using the motto "Just Run". I don't have a Garmin, a heart rate monitor, or any special running gear. I don't think I need these things. However, I do think I am at the point where I need to get a water belt or devise some way to be able to drink water during the long runs. I ran the 13 miles without any water, and there were multiple points where I wished I had some. I'll definitely need it for the 15 miles on Saturday.
Congrats on a big year for you! Wedding and a marathon?!? Cool.
ReplyDeleteGood job on your run too. That's not a bad time either. I ran 10 miles this weekend at a much slower pace. And your 13 mile time was almost the same as my half-marathon time from last year. You're probably way ahead of where I was when I was training for that.
I remember my first 12-mile run, I did it by myself. I had a Garmin and a heart rate monitor, but no fuel belt. I remember I was at around mile 11.5 or so, not quite to 12, and I felt my forehead. It was bone dry. I thought "Gee, shouldn't I be dripping with sweat?" Well, yeah, I should have been, but no fuel belt for me meant dehydration. Yikes!
If I run 10 miles or more, I'll go with my fuel belt; less than eight I won't; 8-10 just depends, but for my long runs it's a necessary piece of equipment.
I would check amazon.com (that's where I got mine) but I would also recommend trying one on first. I bought a large and I probably should have bought a medium. Mine works fine but if I don't tighten it then it slips. It'll take some getting used to. Also, I'd recommend getting one with four bottles instead of two because you can always leave bottles at home and just run with two or three or whatever.
I suppose if you need it by this weekend, then you might just have to go to a running store to get one. They're a bit cheaper online. Good luck!
thanks for following my blog! great job on the 13 miler. you must not be nearly as sweaty as me if you went 13 miles w/o water. I would be collapsed on the side of the road. :p
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