15.8 miles, 3:16 moving time.

I finished my longest run ever (as of 6/5/16) with my friends Lynda, Luis, and Ben. [This was about a week or so ago, but too busy to post about it.] I haven’t run a full marathon yet, but I will at Ironman Mont Tremblant (IMMT) coming up in less than 70 days!

We started out at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center and ran up to Descanso Gardens and on towards Montrose. It was slow and hilly. We took a couple stops to refill and potty breaks. I was happy to make it the whole way without any major complaints. The last time I ran 15 miles was in 2010. I was trying to run the Long Beach Marathon for my 40th birthday celebration, but hip pain on training runs above 15 miles derailed that endeavor.

It was a quiet, and beautiful Sunday morning. We chatted about our training plans for IMMT and summer plans. I wore a Camelback for hydration and stored goos and pills (Hammer anti-fatigue, Hammer endroolytes, Adrenal support) in it. I wasn’t sure exactly which route, and didn’t know if there was water or not, so I packed it all.

I learned that rest, nutrition, patience and friendly conversation make a long run very possible, if not enjoyable. We had been planning these long runs and I was mentally prepared for it. I went to bed early and showed up ready for a long day. But, compared to 11 hrs in the saddle, this wasn’t too bad.

After the run, I drank and drank and drank. Recovery stuff and lots of water. The next day wasn’t too bad. Muscles were tired, but not catastrophic. I think it was was more stiffness in the connective tissues, ligaments and stuff. I foam rolled them out and felt almost normal. The second day seems to be the real test of recovery. That’s when it usually hits me hard.

I think I hit that Ironman-empty-pit-always-hungry point. I’m am starving all the time. I loaded up my desk with snacks.