About 10:30 am yesterday morning, I set out to do my long run of the week. Brad’s parents, Wally and Joy, were coming in that night so I also needed to run by the grocery store to get some groceries for the next few days. I decided that I would drive to Earth Fare in south Charlotte, park my car, run from there, loop back to Earth Fare, and then do my grocery shopping. In retrospect, this wasn’t the smartest thing to do. Who knows how I would feel when I ended the longest run I’ve ever ran. Maybe I wouldn’t feel like grocery shopping. Maybe I would need to lie down.
There’s also reason to take caution when considering doing a long run in a part of town with which you’re not completely familiar. Do you see where this going?
After making one last pit stop by Earth Fare for a restroom break and to fill my water bottle (that emptied itself out in my bag), I was off. The multiple roads named “Sharon” threw me off and within the first mile; I took a wrong turn adding two miles on to my route. I got back on track when I realized my mistake and spent the rest of the run contemplating how far I had gone with no clue (no Garmin) and wondering if I was going to make it. I forgot my iPod shuffle and my sports beans so I wondered if I would either go mad from boredom or run out of energy and have no way to refuel.
I started off in a gorgeous part of town, the kind of area with beautiful homes and gentle rolling hills. The best part of my run was seeing an elderly gentleman trying to get through a doorway with a double stroller. 🙂
Rolling hills turned to steep hills and the beautiful part of town turned into the questionable part of town. A part of me was just glad that I wasn’t lost. Around mile 9-10(?) I couldn’t find the road for my next turn but had a general idea of where I was, so I took what I thought was my best option. I ended up running down a very busy road for a long time. I stopped at a gas station and was so glad to hear I was going the right way to get back to my car.
I ended up finding my original route, but had no idea how far I had gone at that point. A few minutes later my legs gave up and I walked the rest of the way back to my car. I just couldn’t physically go any further running. I was so happy to see the car about two miles later.
I thought about a big green salad with a bunch of grainy salads on top for re-fueling. But I realized that, based on how I was feeling, I needed to refuel as quickly as possible. So I downed the fastest 550 calories I could get my hands on: Odwalla Vanilla Almond Super Protein shake (both servings) and a chocolate chip PB Lara Bar.
I didn’t rest very long because I was running behind schedule after taking those wrong turns. Luckily, Brad’s dad called and said they would be about two hours late. I did my grocery shopping feeling like I might throw up, shiver to death, or lose my legs at any moment, but I got through it was very happy to be in the car heading home.
I don’t know if this happens to anyone else, but I became a complete space cadet for the next few hours.
-I stared blankly at the grocery cashier as he put my groceries in a paper bag, knowing full well that I brought two grocery bags.
-I shampooed my hair twice in the shower.
-I gave Rascal his flea medicine and then threw the rest of the medication in the trash.
I told Brad he needed to watch me closely, because I might accidentally burn down the house.
After returning home, I re-mapped my running route and found out that I definitely got my 14 miles in and walked two miles after that. I was amazed that I stopped running exactly on the 14 mile mark. It was like my legs just knew what 14 felt like. Pretty amazing.
I worked the rest of the afternoon but around 5 pm I broke for some Siggi’s, which was on sale this week at Earth Fare. Score! I never buy Siggi’s unless it’s on sale. It’s so expensive! I enjoyed the orange ginger with some granola and some coconut.
The smartest thing I did that afternoon: bought a new Garmin. Lesson learned.