Harder than you think

I was both wary and excited for Saturday’s long run. My feet were starting to hurt and I was getting pretty stiff, so I was a little worried, but I had arranged a small, informal group run with some fellow ACS DetermiNation Mentors and a few of my mentees. (It was nice to finally meet some of them!) But you know what I was probably most excited about?

I got to try out my hydration backpack! Pretty, huh?

I got this as a free gift for fundraising for the New York City marathon. We had our choice of a few gifts, and seeing as how I didn’t have a fuel belt, I thought this was a good pick. I just never liked the idea of the fuel belt. Especially running in the city, there were also water fountains, coaches with water bottles, or even the occasional NYRR race. They never seemed to mind when we “borrowed” their water. But I was planning on doing about 9 miles so I figured hydration (and a place to carry my stuff) sounded like a good idea.

When I put it on I felt like I was seven going to my first day of school, if school was really dorky running school. It’s basically a backpack with a giant straw sticking out of it. (You can immediately see all the awesome uses for such a contraption, right? ) I think all the people on the subway thought I looked pretty cool. I could tell they were jealous when I didn’t have to fumble with a bottle, twisting and untwisting caps, trying to sip slowly in case the subway takes a sharp turn. No. All I had to do was stick the straw in my mouth and sip.

I had five other lovely DetermiNation athletes meet up with me for our informal run. We set off and things started well. The hydration pack was a little jumpy, but I adjusted the straps and tightened it around my waist and it seemed to be fine. I was definitely loving the ease of drinking. Not loving the sweaty back. About 3 miles into it, I started feeling icky. (Curse you, Harlem Hill!) I was going back and forth between feeling amazing, and feeling simultaneously light-headed and heavy. Not good. We (meaning me and Carolann) promised ourselves a Gatorade when we finished our first 6 mile loop. Let me tell you, that was the coldest, tastiest Gatorade I’ve ever had in my life. We drank our Gatorade, and waited for the rest of our DetermiNation buddies to catch up.

I struggled through the rest of my run, finishing at about 8.5 miles. My hydration pack fared well, but I don’t think I can say the same for me. I don’t know why, but I somehow thought that after training for a marathon, training for a half would be easy. You know what? It’s not. It’s still hard. My feet still hurt. My calves are still just as tight. My thighs are just as sore. I thought this would be easier, and I was a little down on myself because it's not. I’m just hoping to make it through the next 5 weeks and through the Queens Half and still be able to stand.

On that note, I did have a pretty awesome dream last night. I had a dream that I was in a race. Not sure what race, or why, or even where. It seemed to be through the halls of a building. But I ran this race and I WON! I won by just seconds, but I won! I remember breaking through the finish line tape and feeling A-MA-ZING. Maybe my mind was trying to give me a little pep talk. I know I'm not going to really win any race, but I can still get out there and give it my best.

But first, I need a GOOD yoga class.