The night before I went to a Team in Training fundraiser with lots of food and drink. So what did I do? Ate, drank, drank some more, ate some more and drank. And what did I do the next day?
I RAN 18 MILES!
I'm a perfect example of what NOT to do before a long run or before race day!
1. Do not sleep late.
2. Do not eat a late dinner.
3. Do not consume excessive amounts of alcohol.
4. DO hydrate yourself.
5. DO eat a light breakfast one to two hours prior to your run.
I did the exact opposite of the five steps to preparing yourself for a major run. I'm no master marathoner, and if you live a lifestyle where you do all the opposite of my five tactics for your run and can still finish the race then more power to you! I however, CANNOT do that again because I felt like dog shit the whole way through.
It's amazing how the mindset of a runner works, [or how my mindset works.]
At 9:01am on Sunday, September 9, I began my run. I went into the run dreading it which was a bad sign. I knew my preparation for the run was pretty much nonexistent, so it made me dread the run and how I'd feel throughout. After mile four, I had to use the restroom already. Miles five and six were uncomfortable as I was on an expressway that was more like a highway with no sidewalks. I knew by mile seven I'd be thirsty, so luckily, I brought my water bottle and fueled up. After mile nine I was close to my starting point and I DO NOT like loops so I had to think fast and take a detour. I ran on a trail along a creek that only ran for four miles...bummer! I wanted to go further. So I looped back around on the trail. I ran next to Great America and the sound of the roller coasters gave me a high. I imagined riding them and it took my mind off the mileage. By mile 12 or 13, I reached the opposite dead end of the trail, AAAHHHH!!! I just wanted to keep running but these dead ends were killing me. And the second bathroom call crept up again. I almost went in a bush that was visible to traffic but the urge went away and I made it to the Hilton..whew! Thank heavens!!
At this point, the time was ticking and the warm Santa Clara sun was beating on me. I was ready to quit, and just walk home since I was three hours into the run and completely off my pace. Then, aha! A light bulb! I thought of Stillpower (thanks for sharing, J!) Garret Kramer's article that featured the experience of Billy Mills, the 10K Gold Medalist at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. His thought process through his entire run was all negative. He avoided thinking positive in order to get to the race and let his thoughts flow organically. Mills used stillpower or the action or rather, non-action on the thought pattern to get him past the finish line. As soon as I thought of that, I didn't care what came to mind I just kept running. Garret Kramer has some really fascinating views on the subject and is the author of Stillpower: Excellence with Ease in Sports and Life. One of his articles on overcoming failure has resonated with me.
And we're back...
The week before I had run 16.37 miles. I figured the last two miles would be a piece of cake. The cherry on top, the reward for all my hard work!! NOPE! Not even close. During the beginning of mile 17 I was hating myself and life and everything in between. "Why are you running this ridiculous amount of miles in the hot sun, Arikka?" "Did you really forget to hydrate yourself last night? How could you?" "Run faster already, you've done this before, PUSH!!!" Just then, my favorite blue and red aircraft passed overhead heading towards the San Jose Airport. I dreamed of being in a new country, and of my upcoming trip to __?___. [It's still a surprise, details to come ;p] And then, a second Southwest plane...ahhhh travel, how I love it so ;) How beautiful it is to be riding 10,000 feet up in the sky off to far away lands, with exotic people, romantic languages and mouth-watering food to feast upon. I hope my travel bug never goes away!
Aha! I remembered, I have Black Cherry Clif Bloks in my fanny pack ;P That will get me through this last mile and a half. I popped a cherry blok and immediately regretted it :( After not eating anything since the night before and only sips of water on the run, it was the sweetest thing and left a horrible taste in my mouth that I couldn't escape. Oh, brother!!! Alas, an overpass! You know what that means??? SHADE!!!!! I wanted to run in circles for my last mile just to be in the shade, but knew I would go stir crazy so I turned back around towards my starting point to complete the last mile. I was weak in the knees, my feet felt like they were dragging and I couldn't get motivated. [Stillpower Arikka] Not even the fresh veggie spring rolls that awaited me at my friends house were enticing :( And I'm a total foodie! What the hell was going on? YAY! Another plane overhead ;) There was the motivation I needed. I told my bestie, Lisa to worry if I wasn't back by 12:30pm. At 12:33pm I get a text, "Arikka..." I respond, "6 min." I was reaching for a new goal of finishing by 12:40pm. [Horrible I know! 18 miles in 3.5 hours already...that's what happens when you fail to prepare!] I'm nearing the end of mile 18 now and ironically come close to a bright shiny red sign that reads, "STOP." So what do I do? I keep running ;D It's amazing how when you reach the end of the journey, you just can't stop and you want to keep going. That not only applies to my running career, but life in general. I ran about .19 miles more to reach my starting point and passed another STOP sign, but this one not so bright and shiny :(
At 12:42pm, I completed what I set out to accomplish...I RAN 18 MILES ;D
It was horrible, painful, exhausting, dangerous and uncomfortable but I finished and that's all that matters!
This past weekend's goal was 19 miles, but I slowly realized throughout the day on Sunday that it was a lofty goal and I remembered Kramer's article again. I'd like to post it here because I've always been goal driven and his point on limitations is a new realization for me. I really enjoy this read:
3. People who overcome failure rarely set goals.
Goal setting limits your options. If you set a goal and don’t achieve it, it makes perfect sense for disappointment to fester. Even though they might feel down in the moment, people who overcome failure recognize that any and all outcomes are an opportunity for growth, new possibilities, and future achievement. So after realizing that 19 was not going to happen at 6:54pm on Sunday night when the sun had just set, I didn't feel the disappointment because I stopped looking at it as a goal and just as a run to eliminate that disappointment. I ended up running about 6.2 miles instead just to get a run in and felt good that I had something under my belt for the day :D
This weekend, I'm meeting with Team in Training friend's for a 20 mile run ;D I already know this run will be better than 18 because when I run with others I allow them to encourage me and I like to encourage them so we can finish and spend time together. I have to admit though if I'm running with a friend who has the same pace as me, I get a little competitive and that last stretch of the last mile I picture myself in a race and run it hard because I like to win ;D I'm curious to see if my experience will turn out like my friend, Chris Guillebeau's. He ran 20 miles a few weeks ago since he's training for the Chicago Marathon (I forgot to mention...I am training, I just don't run 18 miles for fun, although that does sound strangely kind of cool ;b) When Chris completed his run, he was in the bathroom with a glass of water in hand and realized he was stepping on glass and some type of liquid. He was so unconscious that he dropped his glass of water and had to clear up (his bathroom and his mind.) After that many miles, everything seems like a blur and it's hard to function properly. Deliriousness and unconsciousness are perfectly normal. I just hope I don't go breaking any glasses next weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment