16 miles...

I ran sixteen miles this morning, my longest run yet. I was cruising along for the first ten miles, thrilled that my Achilles tendon was not bothering me, when around mile twelve, the 9:30 pace slowed to a 10:00/mile and I lost all semblance of form. My arms and legs wanted to fly off my body, every muscle was aching, and when I stopped, I felt like Fred Sanford, clutching at his back and lamenting to his late wife up in heaven: "Elizabeth! I'm coming to meet you!"

I'm wondering whether with more training, 16 miles begins to feel like ten. It worries me that the longest run on our training schedule is only 20 miles. The majority of my (little) runs in the past have always been good runs, so it's strange to have difficulty finishing a run. It also could be nutrition. After a few nights out on the town and some haphazard eating strategies, the last few days haven't been ideal.

Some things to be thankful for:

- of all my aches and pains at the end, Achilles tendon wasn't really one of them. (My coach, who is terrific, gave me some special exercises to do.)
- I finished 16 miles.
- I'm healthy.
- I'm only $100 away from my fundraising goals for the Leukemia Society.
- Next week will be easy-- 12 miles to run off all the stuffing I plan to eat.

I never thought I'd see the day where 12 miles seemed easy.