My Hardest Run to Date

      6 Comments on My Hardest Run to Date

I’m feeling a little better tonight, thank goodness.  I’m starting to get my appetite back, though only for certain (mostly bland) foods.  Hope I can get back to 100% soon.  I should be cross-training today, but I decided it would be in my best interest to rest.  But at least I have a little bit of energy to blog!

On Sunday, I did strength training, and Monday I was set for a two and a half mile run.  Last year at this time, I had promised my kids that I would take them bike riding at the Metropark for Memorial Day.  We actually did pack up the bikes, snacks, and drinks, and then headed out…only to be met with a downpour when we arrived. We sat in the car for an hour, waiting for it to blow over, but eventually we gave up and went home. 🙁  So this year, I promised that this time we’d make it work! However, this year, instead of the three of us biking,  it was two biking and one (me!) running.

I woke up feeling fine, but within 20 minutes of waking up, I was suddenly sick. 🙁  I have no idea where it came from, but it sure wiped me out quickly.  It was about an hour before I felt well enough to even think about going out, but I had promised my boys a bike ride, and I was going to follow through.

We arrived at the Metropark at about 9:30am, and once we got the bikes down, I was feeling sick again.  I rushed to the bathroom, but after that, I felt better.  It was getting hot as heck, but I really, really wanted to give the boys their ride, and I also wanted to get my scheduled run in.  So, after a few moments of psyching myself up (LOL), off we went.

The first half mile or so wasn’t too bad. There were a surprising number of shady spots, as well as some very pretty river views.

Once I got about a mile in, I knew things were going to be tough. It was hot, and I was getting tired already.  I kept pressing on, though, because I wanted to finish what I had set out to do.  I immediately slowed down, because I was worried that I wouldn’t make it if I kept up at even my average pace.

Meanwhile, my boys were awesome.  They rode along ahead of me on the path, making sure not to get too far ahead.  Every time DS#2 got more than a hundred feet ahead of me, he stopped to wait until I caught up. “I’ll stay with you, Mom,” he said  sweetly.   Awww. 🙂

There were a lot more hills than I expected–not that they were really hills, more like inclines, but when you’re trying to run up them in hot, humid weather, they feel like hills. 😉   DS#1 was loving the inclines on his bike.  He would go ahead to whiz down them, but he always came back to check on me.  🙂

The run was getting harder with each step, but eventually, we rounded a corner and saw the “big bridge” in sight, the viadock underpass I’d talked about in my first Metropark run.   We were coming at the viadock from the opposite direction than my first run, and this time, we went over the footbridge that crossed the river first. This was the bridge I had sworn to get pictures of the next time I crossed it.  There was no picture-taking at that moment…at that point, I was too busy focusing on putting one foot in front of the other!

As we crossed the foot bridge and went under the viadock, I had another eighth of a mile before I had to turn around and head back, and at that point, I was really struggling.  After I hit my 1.25 mile mark, I turned around and yelled up ahead to DS#1.  “When we get close to the end,” I told him, struggling for every breath, “I want you to go ahead of me to the car.  Get my water and my towel and have them ready for me when I get back to my start point.”

By this time I was beginning to doubt my ability to make it to the end, but I just kept focusing on my steps…one, two, one, two, forward, forward, always forward.  Seriously, it was that hard.  The sweat was just pouring off me, and I had to concentrate on every breath and every step.  Finally, I made it around the bend with DS#2 right along side of me.   I could see the parking lot, which is where I started, and I could see DS#1 riding up from where the car was parked.  I kept checking my Garmin, and when it hit 2.5 on the dot, I finally was able to stop.  It was at that moment that DS#1 reached me, but he didn’t stop, because he didn’t want to risk wasting even a second, but just held out the water and towel to me as he whizzed by.  I can honestly say that the best part of my run was when I reached out and grabbed them–it was almost movie-worthy, lol!

After I wiped the sweat from my eyes, I untwisted the top off the water bottle and drank, sloshing almost as much water on my shirt as I got in my mouth.  I took a few steps, but I was really, really close to just dropping to the ground right there in the parking lot, because I was that exhausted.  I didn’t want to embarass myself in front of my kids, however (LOL), so I staggered to the car, with my kids following right behind me.  Eventually, we made it to the car, and I was able to sit in the air conditioning and rest.  Once again, my boys were awesome, patiently sitting in the car with me and offering encouraging words.  “Good job, Mom!”  “You did it, Mom!”  🙂

Once I’d caught my breath and cooled off, I pulled out my phone and checked the temperature…

Yeah, I know it’s hard to read, but it says 83 degrees with a dewpoint of 66–that is hot and muggy, especially for 10:30 in the morning!!  I can honestly say it was a miserable run.  My splits and timing were reflective of the difficulty.

You can see where the hills were.  At least I figured out how to eliminate the whacked-out timing at the beginning.   Yes, it was the hardest run I’ve done to date, but I did it, and that’s all that mattered once it was over! We found a nice biker to take our picture after the fact:

We even went back to take a few pictures (such as the ones on the trail shown above), but there was no way I was going all the way back to the footbridge.  So, that one will have to wait yet another day!  But I did get a nice shot of the boys.

I was so proud of them…they were such great companions.  I honestly don’t know if I would have finished without their help and encouragement.  Because they helped me so much, I broke down and let them get Slushies at 7-Eleven on the way home as their reward.  Afterwards, DS#1 declared yesterday to be “the best Monday I’ve ever experienced.”  LOL, oh, to be ten years old again, when hilly bike rides and Slushies make everything perfect. 😉

I do have a reason for being so driven to complete this run (despite everything that was going against me!), but that will have to wait another day.  Time for this sick girl to get to bed.  Thank you for reading!

6 thoughts on “My Hardest Run to Date

  1. Jenn

    “Best Monday Ever” gosh, I long for those times too. Don’t overdo it, Steph. I hope you feel better soon and take care of you.

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      Thanks, Jenn! It’s hard for me to admit that I need to slow down…now that I AM active, I hate NOT being active! I’m feeling much better today after a night of rest and relaxation! Thanks for stopping by!!

      Reply
    1. steph Post author

      Thanks, Marcia! I am feeling much better, thank you–I took a day of rest and it made a world of difference!

      Reply
  2. Tammy

    Good Job Girl,, way to push through that run . as long as your safe and sound that is,, but please be sure and listen to your Body . Heat stroke can be an awful thing. There is no shame in walking either My Friend !! remember that.

    Tammy

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      Thanks, Tammy! I appreciate your nice words and your concern! You are right, and I promise to take it easy and walk if I have to! Thanks so much for stopping by and for taking the time to comment! 🙂

      Reply

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