My 16 miler at Stone Mountain

I had never run 16 miles...ever. That said, it was finally time to break out of the half-marathon mini-recovery and have a real training run. So on April 3, the date of the Final Four, I took to Stone Mountain decked out in my new MSU running shorts. I enjoyed running in these shorts so much that I have decided these will be my new racing shorts (if running in warm weather, of course).

I had a running partner for the first 2 laps around mountain. These felt great, though we took the Cherokee Trail which shortened the distance of the first lap by nearly a mile. So on my third lap alone, I had to add some distance at the end, then turn around and come back to make the full 16.

By the last 3 miles, I was not feeling very good. My lower back hurt, which has never happened to me during a run. My legs were also really tightening up, probably due to the hills, and also due to taking too much time off after ING. I really hadn't intended to take that much time off, but due to Spring coming, there were lots of pressure systems coming through, meaning a week of migraines for me. So I had to lay off on the mileage during the week preceding this run. It got so bad during mile 15 that I considered NOT going back out for the last mile. But I knew I had to push it, as I am now in the home stretch of training, and need to prove to myself that I can go further than I've ever gone before...and survive!

When I got back to my car, I ate and drank and stretched. I decided that after showering I would take a cool (but not ice) bath and see if it made a difference since I was already hurting. I also didn't want to be waddling during Easter church service and dinner with Tarrus' family. I sat in the cold bath for about 10 minutes. It wasn't even that cold, but it made all the difference because I was not even a bit sore when I woke up on Sunday. I was shocked! I am a firm believer in the cold bath. They will have to get colder as my distance increases, I'm sure, but I know they will save me!