As I mentioned yesterday, DC has had a long hot week. The original plan for our 17 mile run yesterday was to wake up at 5 am and be running by 6. Unfortunately for us, that did not happen, we both managed to turn our alarms off without waking, and finally got up at 6:20. Normally when we oversleep by an hour or so it is not a big deal, but during the hottest week of the year, it became our downfall.
We finally got out door at 7:15 a.m., just an hour and 15 minutes later than we originally intended. Hoping for the best we headed out on our 17 mile journey. The first half of the run was not bad at all. It helped that sprinklers were set up on Hains Point. Little did we know that we were being showered with nasty water from the Potomac…
Mile 9 was where the wheels started falling off the bus. We missed the turn to go into the back entrance of the zoo. We had the choice to running up a hill to run back down, or just cut the zoo portion off of our run. It was starting to get hot and I was beginning to regret running a 5k the evening before. Without hesitation we cut a mile off the and started down Rock Creek Park.
Running down Rock Creek Park was tedious in the heat but not truly awful. The worst part of the run, where we really started to fade, was once we hit Virginia Avenue. It was well past 9 a.m. and the sun was beating down hard. I struggled across the Memorial Bridge threatening to ride the metro home from Arlington Cemetery, but Jay was holding strong. His determination motivated me to keep on chugging (with only a few complaints ;). Our final downfall, the Pentagon parking lot; 250 yards of black asphalt with no shade in sight and the sun beating down. It was like running in an oven. A humid oven. As much as we both wanted to keep going, we couldn’t push any harder. After 3 hours in the heat moving at a snails pace, we broke down and walked the final mile home. Three and a half hours later we completed the run. This was definitely not the same run we intended to run or at a pace I am proud of, but I AM proud that we got out of bed in 90-100 degree heat and went running.
I learned a lot from this run, which is really what training is all about. I now know that running a race the evening before is a BAD idea. I also have come to realize that the night (day) before a run I really need to relax and not over exert myself. Unfortunately this means that I will be missing a few fun nights out with friends or that I may just have to go to dinner, not out for drinks. In the end, it will be worth it and I will be ecstatic that I completed my goal, running a marathon.
