The longest distance

I ran 25 kilometers this weekend.

It's the longest I've ever run, and to think, from this point on (until the marathon, I guess), I'm going to be running longer and longer distances. The thought is exciting, but at the same time a little daunting.

The run took quite a bit longer than I had hoped, but it was in tune with the fact that I tried something new this weekend.

Given that I hadn't run since before the wedding (Did I tell you I got married 3 weeks and 2 days ago? YAY!), my coach said to take it easy and do an interval run --run for 10 minutes, walk for 1 minute, emphasizing the distance and not the speed, while recovering during the 1 minute. I was lucky enough to run with one of the mentors on the team who stayed with me the entire way. We were supposed to only run 23k since both of us had been away from training for a bit, but we took a few wrong turns, missed a few, or something and ended up with somewhere between 23 and 25k. Either way, it's the longest I've run.

So yes, I tried an interval run this weekend. I also tried gels for the first time. I had a gooey chocolate one, which was good, but if you know me, I'm not good with oozy things, so I either have to water this one down and put it in the bottles of my fuel belt or seek an alternative...and I think I found it...

...I also tried Clif Shots, which are organic energy chews, much like jujubes but with a jolt of electrolytes and carbs to burn! And I need carbs to burn! They taste great and they certainly helped during the run. I think I like these and will be using these for all long runs.

One thing I have to try is Body Glide which looks like deodorant (you may have seen Michael Cera in Juno applying such stuff on his legs before his runs), but it's really a formula for your skin against things like chafing from your clothes when you run, that looks like deodorant. I personally have never had this problem of chafing, but I think it'd be good to apply as a precaution because really, who wants blisters along the seams of their sports bra? Not me. It's also good for your soles so you don't get blisters from your shoes (or your heels, ladies!).

Another thing I posted already, that I am willing to try is the running skirt (GASP!). My mentor wore one on Saturday and I asked her how she likes it and she seemed very happy with it so I'll definitely give it a try...let's just hope they come in my size.

Now, about the run itself...it was a glorious finish, let me tell you. And, I never prayed harder for ten minutes to pass in my life. I'm a continuous runner and so interval running was good, but I think overall, I'd prefer to run continuously. I have challenges getting started again once I slow down and I found I was relying on that 1 minute to come by the moment I felt any pain.

Now, about PAIN -- I couldn't feel my left three toes, my knees were hurting and my legs were gonna give, but THAT's NORMAL, apparently. At the end of it, I was advised to stretch (of course), take a shower (of course) and then soak in an ice water bath to prevent swelling and inflammation. Worked like a charm. The only thing now that's sore is my foot, and I think that's because of my flat-footedness, which I think I know how to fix.

Now to add 17 more kilometers and I'm good to go.