Well today was the longest run so far – 22 miles. I woke at 4:20 AM, and decided to get up instead of waiting for the alarm at 5 AM. I dressed, ate breakfast, and drove to the end (RunTex Riverside). Rushing around there I accidentally dropped my car key and had a hard time finding it in the dark. Luckily a young lady helped me and found it. At 5:30 AM I caught a ride with Larry and Dan to the start (RunTex Gateway). At 6 AM we started. It was drizzling and cold (39 degrees Fahrenheit). I wore tights, three upper layers, ear band and hat. For the most part I was warm running. In the end I ran it all, that is, no walking. However, it was ugly, and I ran anyway I could – you could say at the end that I shuffled. Regardless I just put one foot in front of the other, and I completed it in 3:58. Not very fast, but hey I ran it all and that made me feel good. Most years I don’t do as well. By the time I was done I was soaked through. My clothes probably weighed over a pound with the water weight. This time I tried to bring electrolytes. Having not bought any earlier in the week I tried REI the night before but they don’t carry any. So I brought about a teaspoon of salt in a baggie and one small bottle of Electromix. I was planning on only using the Electromix, but after the first use I forgot to close the squeeze cap and by the next stop it was empty. This wasn’t good. So I switched to Gatorade loaded with salt from my baggie. It tasted awful and it upset my stomach a bit. However at the end my legs weren’t cramping so I’ve got to continue to do something like that. I was to run MGP from 6-10 and 14-18, but only really tried from 6-10. The rest I just slogged along by myself in the drizzle and cold at whatever pace I could make myself do just to move along.
