my 10-mile run

so last friday (i can't believe it's already wednesday) i ran 10 miles. yes, it's true. i did it.

it took me a bit less than two hours, but i did walk a little, work out some knee pain, stop in a starbucks to get more water, ring my boyfriend's doorbell (he wasn't home), etc.

oh, and i am ashamed to say this but i had a bit too much to drink the night before (self-sabotage anyone?) and was running on 5-6 hours of sleep. not the best way to go about things but now at least i know that if i can run 10 miles under these conditions, i certainly can run 13.1 miles under optimal ones. also, i can't say no to sangria. it's just that wonderful! mmmm sangria ...

but i digress. here we go.

mile 1: things are going well. i started listening to my favorite running CD: black eyed peas - the end. it's awesome - every tune is a catchy dance tune. it's very easy to run to.

mile 2: i decided to run in the city instead of down by the water. the water is pretty but it can be boring when you are just running and running and not doing anything else. i am a city girl. i like to look at people and at things in window shop! i drink some water. 4 oz from my fuel belt.

mile 3: i decided to run from king street (bottom of city) up yonge street to bloor (top of city) which was a mistake because it's on an incline. i am not too out of shape for this but i have concluded that running up inclines or hills is what makes my knees hurt.

mile 4: my knees start to hurt. i tell them to shut up. i drink some G2 grape gatorade. 4 oz from my fuel belt.

mile 5: i run the loop around queen's park twice. it's pretty nice. my knees are really hurting here but i tell them to shut up. they surprisingly listen. i'm starting to feel pooped.

mile 6: i eat 3 clif shots. yum yum yum. it feels very strange to be eating this weird candy-like stuff during a run but i go with it. i pretend that everyone looking at me must think i'm really hardcore to need to refuel during my run. yah! i also drink another 4 oz. of water from my fuel belt. now the water is gone! i do feel like i have more energy.

mile 7: i run over to my boyfriend's apartment but he is not home. when you run 10 miles downtown you really can go everywhere. it felt like i went all over the city and that's because ... i did.

mile 8: i stop in starbucks to refill my water. i drink the remaining 4 oz of gatorade in my fuel belt and filled both bottles up with water.

mile 9: this mile was relatively painless - i think because i was heading in the direction of my own home which is always a nice feeling. better than 5 miles away by foot, that's for sure.

mile 10: the final mile was difficult. my knees were really hurting. i think not drinking the night before a run may also help with this problem. i am also going to take some pain killers before the race. i thought about buying knee sleeves or something but chances are i will never run this far again so that would be a waste of moolah. i had to walk a few times during mile 10 and take an extra loop around my neighbourhood to finish up the mile which was extra torturous. i was thrilled when it was over but happy with a calm sense of completion and accomplishment.

after my run i had a shower and proceeded to sleep all afternoon. for some reason the power went off in my building (scheduled) from noon to 5 pm so i couldn't really do anything anyway! the air show at the ex was also going on, luckily the noise did not keep me from zoning out like a zzzombie!

so that's my longest practice race. i ran 5 miles on monday, i have to do 4 miles tomorrow on thursday and then 8 miles on saturday. it's all tapering down nicely. :)