Training Day 6 - Gardner Village

I'm pissed. I forgot to take a picture during this run. And this was a monumental run, too, for a couple reasons.

One, this was by far the hardest run to date. Having just come out of the holiday season, I'm pretty sure I was lugging around a few extra pounds. On Christmas and New Year's, I gorged myself on yummy goodies and party food. (For the record, those were the ONLY days that I gorged. I didn't just veg the entire 2 week holiday break. Okay. I lied. I binged on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, too. But I figure I only ate poorly for two 24 hour periods. So, like I said, only 2 days worth of vegging compared to the possible 2 weeks I could have stuffed my face. Not too bad!) And since Christmas and holidays are a time for pajamas and laziness, I didn't do too well with getting myself up and out of the house to run. I may have slacked off a bit.

So come Friday, I was feeling super guilty and dreading my team run the next morning. To feel better, I decided to finally go out for a run on my own. With all the cool new running gear I got for Christmas from The Schoenstar, I headed out for a 5 mile jog. Bad idea.

The next morning, I was so weak. Not only was my body sore, but I could still feel all the cookies and soda that I had consumed on New Year's, sitting like a brick in my stomach. From here on out, I make sure I follow my training schedule and use Friday as a rest day. That's resting from running and resting from fatty foods.

To make matters worse, the trail we were on was completely snow covered. The terrain was so uneven and slippery. The bumpy and ragged ice killed my arches, calves, and knees. To try and put a positive spin on it, we pretended that we weren't running through snow and ice but through the white sand of a Tahitian beach. And the Jordan Canal that ran parallel to the trail was, instead, breaking waves against the shoreline. Oh, and we weren't bundled up in layers of thermal and wool. We were wearing bikinis and were all super super skinny!

Another pivotal moment of this team run came at the water station. At the half way point, there was an aid station stocked with water, Gatorade, pretzels, and other energizing hydration supplements. Among the goodies were packets of Powerbar Energy Gel. Having heard mixed reviews about these high-octane packets of pure running fuel, I thought I'd try one out.

I don't know which was worse, trying to choke down the actual gel or the effect the gel had on my stomach afterward. The texture and consistency of the gel is liken unto thick yogurt. Thick, but not as creamy. It felt the way molasses looks. A dense glob, coating the sides of my throat as I tried to choke it down. Washing it down with water didn't help much. But, I did try the vanilla flavor. I hate vanilla. I bet a fruity flavor would've have gone down a bit easier.

Once it was finally down, though, it still put up a fight. Not 5 minutes back into my run, my stomach started cramping up. I had read some literature in the past about the different effects gel has on different athletes. Unfortunately for me, crapping your pants happened to be a pretty common one.

My stomach was in complete knots, which made the horrendous run just that much more difficult. I had to get back quickly in order to go to the bathroom. But I was so tired and the rough trail was so unforgiving that I just couldn't will my body to move any faster. At one point, I really thought I was gonna have to pop a squat over the trail's edge and relieve myself into the canal. Which, would have sucked, cuz I would have had to use my socks to wipe with and they were my brand new ones that Schoeny scourge TJ Maxx to find.

Luckily, the prayers of my heart were answered. The carbs, calories, and electrolytes of the gel finally kicked in the way they were supposed to and gave me the energy to propel myself forward. No poopy panties for me. I finally made it back, with burning knees and calves, just in the nick of time. Too bad though. That would have made for some good blogging material if I had crapped myself.

In all, this run was a pretty humbling one. It was physically challenging as well as emotionally daunting. Having fought through these mere 6.70, I've come to reevaluate my goals for this marathon. Before, I thought I wanted to be able to run the entire 26.2 miles in under 5 1/2 hours. Now, I just want to finish, no matter how I do it or how long it takes me. I knew from the beginning that this was going to be a tough challenge. Up until Saturday, I was ignorant as to just how challenging this task would be.

I'd love to run the entire marathon without stopping, and in 5 hours, too. But maybe I should just take it one step at a time and concentrate on simply finishing. Whether I run across that finish line in 4 hours, or I crawl across it in 6, I will complete all 26.2 miles of this marathon. But regardless of what I accomplish, the ultimate reward will have been the journey.

Here's to another 19.5 miles ahead of me.

GO TEAM!!!