Bridges, Parks and 14 miles...OH MY!

Saturday, I joined the group training session for a LONG run. That is, we ran over the George Washington Bridge and through Palisades State Park. To date, I have officially run my "longest." That is I ran for 3 HOURS! For those who are interested in mileage, it was just over 14 miles-with like a-million hills. Never ending, swearing under your breath (when you can breathe) legs burning, gasping for air at the top and praying that we have been running for long enough to turn back now, hills... and that was the second mile in the park!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, it was great fun. About 40 of us showed up and ran single file along the bridge, with an amazing view of the city and the surrounding area. Then we ran up a road and crossed a busy street to run into the park. We ran on two different levels of the park with beautiful views of the river and best of all? No bathrooms. No kidding. At one point a bunch of us ladies lined up in front of a tall fence to relieve ourselves on the run. It was a little like girl scout boot camp-that sounds weird...uh..anyway..
I was keeping a pace about 2 min slower per mile than I usually train, which I read is good to do on a long run. While running I met Lindsay, Megan and Christine. Turns out Christine is on my "team." There are 100 of us New Yorkers running the San Diego Marathon. We are broken then into groups of 10 with a mentor. Our team is aptly named the"San Diego Sadists."

This is the first time I have met a member of my team, though I have met and gotten to know our mentor, Peter, rather well. I am surprised every time I see him with how extraordinarily generous he is with his time. Meeting a teammate made my day and it was such a help to have some one to suffer with!

Besides the physical challenges there were spiritual ones as well. In fact, on the turn around heading back I was on my own quite a bit. Prayer became the motivator, particularly when my body was feeling heavy and my legs weak. And so it began, "God is good. God please come! God help me survive this run." I'm serious. The rhyme and rhythm are important when praying and running. It helps you keep pace!

While walking back over the bridge (something I chose to do, as my hips felt tight and my knees quite sore), Peter, who probably ran the long run twice, saddled up behind me and kept me company . He supported my choice to walk and we chatted about how we felt and what to do to speed my recovery from the physical trauma of such a long run. All the coaches and mentors seem to spend this kind of time and energy with as many teammates as they can-it's very inspiring and so incredibly helpful.

So now you're probably wondering how I feel. Maybe you are wondering what Peter had suggested for my speedy recovery... well it's NOT a warm bath and Swedish massage, I can tell you that. To ensure your body's quickest recovery from a long run, especially if you are not used to it, is simple and yet extremely torturous. However, it is also something that, after having experienced it myself (well sort of anyway), I will do it every time from here on out!

It's an ICE BATH! That's right. In fact, what you do is fill up your tub with as much as ice as you can. The pros put sweats and gloves on their upper body, and their tights on their lower body and lower themselves into the ice up to the waist, and stay there for 10 MINUTES!!!

On the way home from the run, I stopped at the local bodega-no ice. I headed home and filled up our tub with icy water. Here in NYC the cold water is FRIGID. This is undeniably a nicer way to introduce one's body to the trauma of an ice bath. I feel it will prepare me for the real thing. I forwent the clothing and simply wrapped my upper body in a towel, and with Jason's help(i.e. my strangling his neck) I lowered into the icy water, hyperventilating all the way in. There was a squeal or two...and then it happened, my legs became warm! It actually felt OK. I stayed in the frigid water for about 20 minutes. That's when I started to shiver. This is a good sign that you need to get out. I drained the tub and took the HOTTEST water shower of my life. I am sure I was in it for 30 minutes. It was WONDERFUL!

At this point, I figured I'd pass out. I had been up most of the night before, something I learned other runners experienced as well. It's psyche-yourself-out time the night before every long. It's as though your subconscious is preparing you for how you will feel the night before the marathon. This is just a guess, of course. Nonetheless, I decided to go out for a bit. I traveled with Jason on his way to work and stopped at Columbus Circle's Time Warner Building. I rewarded myself for the run with a new summer top from JCrew (big sale), and picked up some dinner at Whole Foods. I made it home, made dinner and eventually passed out at 9PM. Sunday was good and today I feel even better!

I think I am beginning to enjoy this insanity called the runner's high, and I am actually looking forward to meeting each new challenge both physically and mentally.

Amen.