T Minus 7

The plan was to run about 11.2 miles today. I looked it up online, and thought I knew where the turn-around was -- the park with the volleyball court, duh! I wanted to run the way out, and then try to run the whole way back.

I did run the whole way out. Yay! And on the way back, I started walking. As I got closer to the end, I walked more and more. The last mile/mile and a half was almost all walking. My knees hurt. I didn't take preemptive ibuprofen. Big mistake.

Earlier, somewhere around mile 7 (?), I realized a) I had been running much longer than I thought (almost two hours) and b) I might need some calories and water. There, ahead of me, was a gas station. So, a bottle of water and a Crunch bar later, I was feeling a bit better. Even 11 miles is long without any additional calories, and although I have been convinced that it's better to under hydrate than over, water is still a good thing.

Anyway, I finished the run (with actual running, no less) and headed straight to REI for some Gu. Turns out Gu is the only no-chew energy substance with vitamin B. And yet B is what helps you process energy. B doesn't stay in your body long, but while you have it, your body uses its energy more efficiently (or something). So, I bought a bunch of Gu for next weekend -- and had one immediately.

Then, I found a restaurant and had a pretty decent bacon cheeseburger. I would tell you more about it, but I totally forgot to take any photos in my haste to stuff my face. (It was 3pm by this point.) While waiting for said burger, I played with the iPhone, and realized I might have run further than I thought. I drove home the way I ran in, and yes, I ran at least .3 miles (each way) further. Turns out the street I googlemapped last night is not visible from the bike trail.

That makes this weeks run closer to 12 miles... maybe even a bit more than 12 considering I have to do some ups and downs to go around various highway on-ramps. So, I am now less surprised that it took me about 3 1/2 hours and my knees really hurt.

On a side note, my knees have been hurting a bit lately. Then I realized I'd stopped doing the wet sock trick at night. So, it's back to the wet socks at night for me.