22.5 Miles of Confidence Building...

While training for Chicago I began most long runs not knowing if I was capable of going the distance. Each week I pushed my limits and each week I learned what I was made of. I discussed some of this in the post "Training in the Know." To further marinade on that thought I want to explain to ya'll my goals coming into this training cycle;

I knew I was capable of going the distance, so to that end, I wouldn't have to question. But I wanted to train and run stronger this cycle. I had the tools, knowledge and experience and now I wanted to utilize them to capacity. Last training cycle I struggled at the end of every single long run, I took walk breaks, I psyched myself out. I got skeered. So besides just incorporating regular hill and pace workouts into this cycle my number one goal was to RUN every long run and finish STRONG.

Going into the 22.5 miler I had a healthy dose of fear brewing. It felt good. It made me realize I hadn't gotten cocky. I still respected the distance. The long runs leading up to it had been such a mixture of mileage, location and levels of difficulty. This weeks run loomed before me built up in my head as being a pinnacle point of training. I had finished each prior long run strong, no walk breaks, in rapid succession; but this run would show me what I was really made of. It became a mental hurdle I had given myself... that I soared over and landed gracefully on the other side of. When I all but shouted at the girls, "I call that 22.5 miles of confidence building!!!" at the end I meant it. We had all started that run with our own inner struggles but we all finished it stronger and more confident in ourselves.

So yeah, now that I got all that off my chest how about I recap this run for ya?

Rachael had asked for some pics of this elusive 22.5 miler and I had to explain to her that it's a 4.5 M out and back along a very boring stretch of road and we start at an ungodly hour so there's not much to see until the end anyway. Essentially our run looks like this:

4.5 M x 5

Exciting huh? Our next and thankfully last 22 miler will be run along Bayshore, the actual race route itself and I promise to snap some shots while we're there of the route, the Gulf and us running like majestic gazelles along side it.

Moving on...

The first 4.5 miles is always spent catching up from last week and finding our stride. Hollster and I had resigned to run a steady pace and not get pulled by the slightly speedier runners in front of us. At the turn around we did not dally, it was "Gu & Go." We were back pounding the pavement within a minute. Somewhere about mile 6 I took a ricocheted piece of wood to the ankle but otherwise there was no carnage to speak of. Bringing it in at Mile 9 we took a quick pee break and then got right back out there.

4.5 M III was spent marveling at the beautiful sunrise, enjoying another lucky bout of gorgeous running weather and unknowingly picking up the pace. We continually passed other BRA runners and utterly FAIL'd time and time again to conduct a successful high five. At the turn around it was another "Gu & Go" and a few minutes later we passed Mr. Huge-Quad-Shorty-Shorts from last week. I tried to keep from laughing by plastering a friendly smile across my face. Where is P-Funk & B.o.B when you need them? LOL!

Well into Mile 16 we both admittedly started to feel tired, the chatter quieted down and I think reality sunk in that we still had a ways to go and one final round of the never ending hill to conquer. Right about then a Sears truck passed and I told Holly about their commercial I had recently seen, have you seen it? The R.A.D. one? HILARIOUS. Then we passed a pile of crap in the middle of the sidewalk... with a pair of underwear nearby. Seriously. WTF?!?! As we approached the never ending hill we put our game faces on. I remembered what Spike had told me about running up hills and stated the we needed to pull back our shoulders and straighten up our posture. No burning up energy from slouching here! Half way up is Mile 17, as we hit it Hermes beeped a 9:19 pace. I refrained from telling her because I wanted to see if we could keep it up through the top and to Mile 18. (At the turn around before repeat II Hollster had FAIL'd to restart her Garmin so she was 4.5 miles off the rest of our run) As we crested the hill and brought it in to Mile 18 we passed a male runner with unfortunate sweat patterns in his crotchular region... we laughed ourselves silly right in and Hermes beeped a 9:10 pace. We had just negative split the toughest part of the run! We only had one more effing 4.5 M repeat to go and we were done but as far as I was concerned the worst was behind us. The last of the miles could be good, bad or ugly, I had just wanted to make it over that hill.

After a quick pee & Gu break we headed back out and easily looked like two 90 year old women attempting to run. We had stopped all of maybe 3 minutes but that was enough time for the fatigue to set in and I'm sure we were a very entertaining sight! Just as we finally got into the swing of things again we passed P-Funk & B.o.B bringing it in to the turn around. Hollster gave them words of encouragement and I reminded them to straight up. Apparently I am the Posture Nazi all of a sudden. Mile 19 was rough. Mile 20 came with renewed energy and strength. We passed Coach EK and it was not lost on me that he shouted "You two would look awfully good finishing Gasparilla together." Mile 21 came and went. As we came up on Mile 22 I looked at Hollster and said, "I gonna open it up and see what I have left for this last .5 you in?" She declined and said have at it. As Hermes beeped Mile 22 I gunned it...

At 22.5 I hit stop and ended the run, wholey spent but feeling absolutely on top of the world. I trotted back to Hollster and we both successfully double high fived and dubbed ourselves rockstars. I checked the stats, we negative split the last half of the run and I rocked that last .5 at a 7:13 pace. *Fist pumps the air* F*ck yeah!

We grabbed some H20, I changed into my recovery socks and we headed out to cheer B.o.B & P-Funk in. It seems they had the same idea at the 22 and brought it in strong. Then I all but shouted at the girls, "I call that 22.5 miles of confidence building!!!" and I meant it. We had run it like we meant it and it hurt so good.

Big shout out to Hollster for being the best pace partner a Redhead could ask for! Big congrats to B.o.B & P-Funk for kicking @ss on their run too!! Next run together is a dress rehearsal for Gasparilla and we are so ready!!!! 4 more weeks! I hope all ya'll out there had a confidence building kind of run too!