18 miles --- 3+ hours of running ---- all before most of my friends rolled out of bed on Saturday morning. Last week, I took a few days off for Lolla in Chicago. I was afraid that all that music fun would catch up with me when I tried to go past mile 14, but ... between you and me, I kicked butt. 18 miles is my longest run of the summer so far. I haven't gone that distance since the marathon last November. 22 miles will be our longest run before the big day, but 18 is no joke.
When I have a long run, I prepare everything the night before. I load my Spi belt with goos, a few dollars, my extra car key, and course directions in a Ziploc bag (because otherwise nasty sweat will destroy the paper). I lay out my shoes, my watch, my headphones and my clothes. I pack a bag with flip flops, dry clothes for after the run, and towels for stretching. It takes a lot of time to get ready to abuse yourself with a pre-dawn multi-hour run. My super group and the Luke's folks do a lot of prep too. There are water stops, stashed frozen towels, Gatorade, popsicles, frozen grapes, and chalkers (who "chalk" the sperry loop portion of the course).
I can't imagine what drives us all to do this when we could be sleeping in our comfy beds, but I love the ritual of Saturdays. I love the miles alone to think, the tradition of a post-run breakfast with good friends, and the reward of a Saturday nap with a little brown puppy snoring on the floor by the couch.
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