Saturday, February 27, 2010

11 miler.....WTH??

My schedule called for the longest run that I have done that wasn't a race....11 miles! I decided to have a few egg whites an hour before running so that I could keep my energy up. I put on my new pink Nike hat and set out to Alki.

 

In the first mile, I noticed that my legs were pretty tired, and I was low on energy. After the first 3 miles, I was ready to call it quits. I think the combination of too little carbs (even though I usually don't eat to many as is), being dehydrated as usual and a few hefeweizens last night were a bad call. I pushed through and decided that I wouldn't stop until I reached the 6 mile point. After reaching the 6 miles, I kept putting goals of not stopping until I passed the 9 mile point, or passing a certain bench or tree. I was ready to fall over!

Yeah, I was pooped at this point!

I ended up not stopping and had a time of 1 hour 55 minutes for my run (roughly 10:20/mile). It wasnt pretty, but at least I made it through the run! I will be sure to hydrate and eat a different meal before starting off for my 12 miler next weekend. I was pretty proud that I made it without stopping though. I know I can do this distance, but it seemed that everything was trying to work against me today. This just goes to show how much the mental aspect of running plays a part in your long runs. If my head wasn't into it, I would have surely stopped after mile 3. At least my head was in the game even though my body wasn't!!

On a side note, I saw the most random thing on my run: a cat on a leash! WHO PUTS A CAT ON A LEASH?? Has anyone seen this before? I'm NOT a fan of cats (I'm a dog person!!) and I couldn't help by laughing when I saw it. The cat looked extremely ticked off, and pretty rabid! The cat had long hair and looked somewhat like a bobcat. I wouldn't get too near that thing, it looked like it wanted to bite anyone who got near it! I had to take a picture:

 
On the sidewalk between the white poles!!

So I took the picture while running, and I couldnt get closer without the guy noticing I was taking a picture of his cat and laughing. I think this made my day. Who does that?? Its not the first time I have seen a cat on a leash! Below is picture worth a thousand words from Eastern Washington from 2 summers ago (while camping):

 

Hahaha, love it! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

8 comments:

  1. That last picture is great! Several years ago, I was running through Bellevue Botanical Gardens and there was a guy reading near the little waterfall with his cat on a leash at his side. I don't get it.

    Way to stick with your run!

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  2. Hi Sarah,
    Awesome job on the 11 miler!!! Way to stay strong and tough it out:) You should be proud of yourself!!

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  3. Hope I get to meet up with you for the Seattle RNR, there are lots of us bloggies running. Way to go on pushing through.

    ok so we have two cats and I got them harnesses a few years ago because I thought it was hysterical! I couldn't get them more than like a foot out the door though and they refuse to walk :)

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  4. GREAT JOB ON THE RUN! i cant remember the last time i ran 11 miles....prolly by last half marathon.
    i know how u feel about the run. u feel crappy while running, but dont wanna stop, and in the end, ur thankful that its over! but hey,u just ran 11 miles. either way u look at it, its freaking fantastic!!!

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  5. Yes, that is definitely one of those bizarre "WTH!" sightings.

    Way to go on the 11 miles - an even bigger victory since you were ready to quit at 3.

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  6. way to finish! i do the same thing on some runs, setting small goals like you said in getting to 6, then to 9, then to the end...helps get you through it!

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  7. So glad that you got a picture of the cat on the leash. I have never seen that either!! I am totally a dog person. I hope that you have a great day and way to go on your run :-)

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  8. Way to push through!!! Good job on your run!
    That is hilarious! No, I have never seen a cat on a leash....I do however, have a leash for my kids...;)

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