A fairly brutal long run this morning. The distance actually covered was probably closer to 15.5-16. Rather than run in Port Orchard at the crack of dawn I stayed in Seattle last night (I was over there for other things already) and met Aaron kind of late in the morning (9 a.m.) at the Burke-Gilman trail and 25th. He was looking for about 7 miles so we took the trail down past Gas Works Park and Fremont, ran at a very nice comfortable pace and talked. I dropped him after 7.5 or so then took a route into Ballard, which I'd never run before. He estimated it to be about 5 more if I took the direct route back to where we started. I figured that'd be fine, I'd find a few more miles to tack on somewhere.
So I went through Ballard to Market Street, the main drag there, and started to head back. There's a really big hill as Market changes to 45th, which nailed me. I cut off the hill near the top, 1.) because I'm a pansy and wanted a few blocks of flat and 2.) because I'm not a total pansy and wanted to add a few more miles to the overall run by heading north. I got a little lost at this point, kind of wound through Phinny Ridge and wasn't totally sure where I was going. So there were periodic uphills and meandering as I ran block-to-block, but I had a general sense of where I was going. I ended up on the far northwest side of Green Lake eventually, which I figured would give me enough miles to make it close 14 for the day all told. I dropped down to the Green Lake trail, but went the wrong direction (wrong as in, the longer way around). At this point a few things dawned on me: 1.) I didn't eat dinner the night before other than grazing on carrot sticks and hummus at a party, 2.) I usually eat breakfast at 8 a.m. Saturdays, and my body now realized it was after 10 a.m. with no fuel to burn, 3.) I had a longer route back than planned, 4.) It was much warmer than I prepared for and I'd worked up a real good sweat in my layers.
I was a little beat at this point, and kind of exhausted mentally from the realization I'm a dummy. I finished the run around the lake (can't slow down with all those girls watching), then caught my breath before heading back up Ravenna/65th. I took that part back slowly, and walked a block here and there. My legs and lungs were fine, I was just completely out of gas. The hunger pain was the worst, reminded me of Paul and I's summer trail runs in Logan when the last few miles we only talk about what greasy fatty food we're eating (usually at Eddie's) when the run ends. Made it back to the trail, walked half a mile, then half-heartedly ran in the last half or so. Then ate, and ate, and ate. I've had two meals in the 5 hours since, and I'm gearing up for another soon. I mapped the distances and, although my route wasn't completely precise because of my wanderings through Phinney Ridge, at least found out that I'd covered more than 5 miles from Ballard. But with a few walking miles I didn't feel right about counting the whole thing as mileage (anyone have an ethical opinion on that?), so I gave myself 14 miles. Good enough. My legs are tired, but didn't break down or give me any pain. I probably didn't stretch enough, so I'm going to head up to the YMCA now to loosen up again and stretch out. Then back to the kitchen. supernova -- 90
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