12.16 miles. That is the farthest I have ever run in one sitting (for lack of a better term; even thinking about it in retrospect can make you delirious) in my life.
Seeing as I was running late (as usual; getting up at 5:15 AM on a Saturday morning is hard enough as it is), I didn’t get to stretch as much as I should have. Which didn’t really affect me until around mile 8. Around mile 6, I felt like I could finish out a half marathon (13.1 miles), but during mile 8, I could feel my legs begin to tighten up.
Sidenote: As I’m writing this, I’m realizing I really DO need to get better about stretching before and after a run. It has been the cause (and solution) to all of my injuries this season. Interesting how writing something can put it into perspective for you.
Even though my legs were beginning to feel like tree stumps, I was determined to finish this week’s marathon training. And I did. I actually had a better pace than last week’s marathon training, my first in a few weeks.
The other thing I learned was to ALWAYS wear socks. If you know anything about me, I absolutely despise socks, and you have to wrestle me to the ground and put them on me to get me to wear them. I had had a pair of Feetures! socks, but the left one decided to walk off somewhere, so I haven’t been wearing them (and by them, I mean it – my right sock) lately. And this week, I paid for it with a blister under my right toe. You had better believe that on my lunch break today, I made a quick trip to Run On! to pick up a replacement pair.