Not long ago, I would have laughed at the notion. Pooh-poohed the idea that I could cover fifteen miles on my own two feet -- and running, at that. But today I did it. I ran it all, without stopping -- even the lights at Arlington Center were in my favor. My knees are a bit sore, and there's a bit of chafing, and I wasn't all that fast -- but I nailed it today, and I finished with some left in the tank: I could have done even more. For some reason, I did a lot better today than I did on the 13-miler two weeks ago. (Perhaps because Carson wasn't with me, I wasn't embarrassed about going a little slower.)
Now I'm watching the women's marathon on TV, live from Beijing. I remember my visit there back in 2001, with my friend Mimi, who gladly translated everything I pointed out to her, although her thoughtful translations were always the same: "Eric sucks." Thanks, Mimi. Carson and Theresa are there now, probably on the street, watching the runners go by. It's a little mind-boggling to realize how fast the elite marathoners cover 26 miles, which is still 11 miles and about two and a half months in my future.
Mapmyrun.com calculated that today's run burned more than 1,800 calories; my cheap scale told me that I lost about five pounds during the fifteen miles. So I ate a gigantic chocolate muffin from Star Market. So there! During the run I had 32 ounces of sports drinks, four gels, and about 8 ounces of water. I wasn't hungry or thirsty during the run, but that was probably because I ate and drank before I became hungry or thirsty. Plus, another reason I did better today than two weeks ago is that it was much cooler... in the 70s. Still humid, but not forbiddingly.
The next Longest Run Ever, 16 miles, will be in two weeks. No problem. I could have done 16 today. But one thing -- and one mile -- at a time...
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