Mind over Body: Running 18 Miles Solo

I ran my last long training run yesterday.  I ran 18 miles solo.  I am not going to sugar coat it and say that it was super easy and I am ready for CIM… a short 2 weeks away.  I am going to be very honest and candid in my training run recap.  The first half of my run sucked.  It hurt.  I was in pain.  Mentally I was there… physically I felt like I was falling apart.

I decided to test out my race outfit… a final dress rehearsal for the big race if you will.  I have never run in arm warmers before, so I was kind of excited to try out my EnduraCool arm warmers today.  I figured if I didn’t like them, I could always take them off and tie them around my fuel belt.  I actually ended up running the entire time WITH them on (well, at mile 11 I took off ONE and left the other one on).  I wasn’t hot or cold, but just right.  Plus I liked the flash of color (brightness) so that oncoming cars could see me!

I will admit that going into this run I was a bit nervous.  I had a painful 12 miler the previous weekend, and all week I had been nursing (icing, resting, rolling, and taking care of) my left foot.  I wasn’t sure how this run would go.  I had a plan of attack to run 10 miles on the road, and if it was too painful I would stop and attempt the remainder miles on an elliptical (to reduce pounding movement).

I also had a plan to run with NO music the first half of my run.  Then if I felt I needed the extra push, I would plug everything in and jam away to my tunes while I busted out the remainder miles.

The first few miles were easy and fun.  My legs were excited to be on the road and running.  It was a beautiful crisp cool morning.  I started to feel a twinge in the bottom of my left foot around mile 2.  At mile 4, the twinge was more noticeable… but I wouldn’t have called it painful at that point.  More annoying and something to be aware of.  I fueled with honey stinger gel while running at mile 4.

These next few miles were more of a challenge.  The foot pain grew greater.  I literally prayed out loud to God asking Him to teach me (while running) how to run with a different gait so I wouldn’t constantly hit the outside of my foot with each step.

Around mile 7 the pain began to REALLY hurt.  Yet not enough to stop and quit!!? Almost with every step a zinger would take my breath a way.  I did a lot of praying from miles 7-9.  Not sure if I should run it out or quit.

At one point in mile 8, after I fueled with another honey stinger gel, I needed moral support.  I texted my running friends to complain about my pain.  It was the middle of mile 8 and I just needed to vent.  I was hurting.

At mile 9, I ran into a Carls Junior (the staff was not very friendly) to refill my water.  Then, I stopped and took off my shoe to check if something was IN it.  Just as quick as I took my shoe off I put it back on.  No pain!? No pain!!!

The next two miles were an adjustment.  I was mentally trying to figure out what was going on with my foot.  I had the occasional zingers of pain… but nothing like it was during miles 7-9.  ??  I did a mental evaluation of my body:  my lungs, heart, and muscles felt strong and steady… however the foot and even right knee were causing issues.

Those miles I felt like I was running funny and different.  Almost to compensate and not strike the ground on my left foot the same way.  I am not sure.  It was a comfortable pace, knowing I was going slower than planned… but happy there was minimal pain.

I decided this was a great time to plug in my music and just enjoy the run.  Stop over thinking things.  Trust my body and my training.  If the pain returned and was unbearable I would call it a day and call my husband to pick me up. I continued on.

Around mile 12, I came across two other male runners (I had seen them on my run previously today).  I gave them a thumbs up (because sometimes runners don’t like to be touched, talked to or even acknowledged).  The guy gave me a runners high five!!  It made my day!!  I then shouted to him (in passing) “Are you training for CIM!?”  He shouted back, “Yes see you on the course!”  That lifted my spirits and was happy.

Then a few short strides later Ramon caught up to me and ran 0.25 miles with me to chat CIM and running chat.  It was a nice mental break from me running solo.

I fueled at mile 12 with a power gel (lots of sodium and more calories… something I tired at the Clarksburg 20 miler and liked).  After the fun mental break of chatting with Ramon, fueling, and running in familiar territory… I was running pain free.  Seriously, NO PAIN!

I found myself rocking out to my play list, mouthing the words to the songs and just enjoying the run.  I hit my second wind around this time.

Around mile 14, I ran (literally) into a gas station to refill my water.  I power walked out (so they wouldn’t think I was stealing something).  I left my garmin running to simulate a water refill for the race.  in and out.  quick and fast.

I knew I was close to home and was unsure (at this point) how far I was going to run.  16?  17? 18?  I could stop and walk the remainder home.  Or make a short cut.   I wanted to see how I was feeling.  Not pushing it too hard if I was hurting.  But just trusting in my body.

Around mile 16 I refueled with an Island Boost gel.  I felt great and strong.  I was running with NO pain!  I decided to get off the pavement (to give my foot a bit of rest) and run the dirt trail near the park by my house.  This was softer and less impact on my foot.  It made my feet (and knees) very happy.

Once I hit mile 17, I knew that I could run one more mile.  I continued running at a comfortable pace.  I even tried to pick up the pace a notch… nothing too taxing but enough to test myself.

Once my watch beeped alerting me I had run 18 miles, I pressed stop.  I began walking the 0.25 mile home to begin stretching and icing.  I felt great.  A little tight, sore and stiff… but nothing alarming since I just ran 18 miles.

As the day went on, I made sure to take care of my feet.  I wore my compression socks and iced (both the top and bottom) of my left foot (and right knee).  I rested by watching Monsters University with the boys during down time.  I refueled, hydrated, and enjoyed the day.  I wasn’t in much pain or discomfort.

It was my husband’s birthday, so we celebrated by going out to eat at Country Buffet.  I did not obliged.  No dishes for me to clean up… no meal for me to prepare.  I ate relatively healthy and restocked any calorie deficit from that mornings run.

Fast forward to this morning (Sunday… the day after my run), and I wake to my foot being sore.  I can apply pressure to it when walking.  I can touch my foot with no pain.  However, there is/was a red spot on the outside of my foot (near where my pain had been while running).

I am resting, icing, and taking ibuprofen for the inflammation.  I am hoping the pain will go away, and will make plans to see a specialist soon if it is becoming a problem.  Less than 2 weeks from my first marathon.  I do not have time for injury.

So… that being said, I feel that my 18 miler went well.  I know that my body is mentally strong to run 26.2 miles.  I know that my body is physically capable of going the distance: lungs, heart, muscles.  I know that if it came to it, I could push past the pain and run the race (just not the goal finishing time I had hoped).

My plan is to (like I have been saying) REST, ICE, properly FUEL, HYDRATE, ROLL and STRETCH!  I will be injury free and run pain-free on December 8th!

Do you have any tips or tricks on how to QUICKLY heal when dealing with running pain?