Longest Run of My Life

Saturday, February 21st
Nike+: 15.20 @ 2:15:48 (8:55/mile)
Gear: Tights, black long-sleeve shirt, black wife-beater under long-sleeve shirt, gloves, neon cap, one Accel Gel, no H20 bottle
Weather: slightly below 30 degrees, wind chill about 17 degrees, very windy when running west (20-25 mph)
I was not looking forward to this run. I woke up on Saturday morning with a headache, so I took a couple Ibuprofen. Unfortunately, the medicine didn't immediately work. I also heard from my mom, via a text message, that the wind was biting. A headache, a biting wind and 15 miles of running do no necessarily make a good recipe. I was also a little concerned about how my legs would feel at the end of the day when I was scheduled to photograph a Mardi Gras party in downtown Columbia. After some procrastination, including 3 poops, I put on my gear and got ready to go.
I left the house and headed south. After about a mile or so, I really heated up. It was less than 30 degrees outside, but I felt like it was much warmer. This was the hottest part of the run for some reason. As I continued, I cooled down. Part of this was due to the wind that I would later face. But for the few miles, the wind wasn't really that noticeable. After about 3.5 miles, and the disappearance of my headache, I exited Stadium Blvd. and entered the MKT trail where I headed west. There was snow beneath my feet. I saw a few runners on the MKT and they were dressed in cold weather gear. After about a 1.5 miles on the trail, I arrived at the water fountain beneath Forum where I stopped to take a drink. I then exited the trail and headed south on Forum - this is a noticeable hill, but really didn't feel too bad. It was when I hit Nifong that things got interesting. This is where I found the wind waiting for me - hidden around a corner waiting to smack me in the face after I had about 6.5 miles under my belt. I said aloud, "Bring it on motherfucker." And Mother Nature did. She came at me pretty good for the next 2.5 miles while I worked my way west to Scott Blvd. Once I got back on the trail at Scott/MKT, I stopped at the water fountain, but only found hot water. I nonetheless took a few sips and even splashed some on my face. I don't know why it was hot. The next two miles, from 9 to 11, were all on the trail. At about mile 10, I started feeling pretty beat up. This is when I took an Accel Gel out of my pocket and spilled about 1/2 of it on the ground when I ripped it open. I squeezed the remaining amount into my mouth and stopped again at Forum/MKT to get some water and wash everything down. I then exited the trail and started north up Forum. I think the gel really helped my energy level for the rest of the run. For the most part, I felt pretty good.
At the bottom of Stadium, after facing wind from the west again, I hit the 13 mile mark - equal to my longest runs in the past. Not surprisingly, I faced about a 3/4 mile mile at this spot. Nothing worth anything comes easy when you're running. I remember thinking, "This is new territory. I've never run more than 13 miles. I feel good." I didn't really have any doubts that I'd make it. Two miles later, I ran north on Rothwell Drive land finished in front of the house at 15.20 miles. I was a little surprised to see that I averaged less than a 9-minute mile - especially since I stopped 3 times for water. There were also several serious hills on this route - gotz to keep it real.
One of the downsides to running this far is that it takes a toll on my body. I pretty much took things easy the rest of the day and stayed horizontal on the couch. I hope that as I keep doing these long runs that my body recovers more quickly.
This was a great run. I didn't really have any terrible moments. I heard later from Dark Horse that he survived his run, too. We were not literally together, but we were in spirit. Haven't heard from Posscoon, but I'm sure he was out there keeping us company.
When I went to the Mardi Gras party last night, I found out it was happening. Evidently the person who originally contacted me, didn't let me know that the event was cancelled. This was very disappointing. So I went home, watched some more tv, and spoke to my friend Christian, who lives in Philly. My throat began to hurt and when I woke up this morning, Sunday, my throat was quite sore. Not sure what's happening, but I'll probably take things real easy today. I did sleep well last night, so perhaps I just need to keep resting.
As I mentioned in the beginning, I didn't want to take on this run. My head hurt, the wind was blowing up to 25 MPH and I was going to be on my own. But sometimes I just have to show up. And that's what happened.