The alarm of my cell phone went off at 5:45 am and I laid in bed huddled under my duvet; "just 15 more minutes then I have to get my ass in gear." 6 am and I got up to get myself ready for the infamous 23 miler. I got dressed in my running gear and tried to figure out what I was going to eat to help sustain myself through this long run.
Misty picked me up at 6:30 am and we met everyone at our usual meeting spot in Golden Gate Park. Coach John was not there today, but someone else in his place (whose name escapes me.)
We were handed the course sheet and it looked fairly benign. The usual of running through the park, but we cut through the rose garden and headed down Presidio Avenue before turning on Jackson and then up the dreaded Lyon Street hill...a never ending hill...we were at the 7 mile point at this juncture. Once you go up a hill...you must come down and we did all the way down the Lyon Street Hills. Everyone was complaining how wobbly their knees felt after the descent. Our fearless pace leader Todd was feeling the effects of the descent and subsequently abdicated his leadership at the next water stop. His knee was crapping out on him and he could not run anymore. So the group bid him adieu and trekked on. And on did we go; past Pier 39 with the throng of tourists, past Pier 23...beer anyone? Past the Ferry Building with their weekly Farmer's Market. It was almost like playing dodge ball trying to navigate the mass amount of people mulling about. At the Heart and Arrow sculpture on Howard street we hit the 14 mile mark and turned around. Most of our group were really starting to feel the effects of the 67 degree temperature and the non-fluid pace - we lost any rythmn we had when Todd left. My right knee started bothering me around mile 15 and I lost all momentum at mile 16 when we hit Ft. Mason. I was hot, tired, cranky - due to lack of sustainance - and feeling like I was going to crash hard. I bid the group adieu. After some much needed gatorade and a banana I felt better, but knew that the only way I was going to get through the rest of this training was to make sure that I ate more before the run and to be sure to take a few powerbars for energy. This is what training is all about...trial and error. Only six more weeks until we are in Italia!
The Aids Foundation is still accepting donations through the end of November, so If you would still like to donate, please do so through my website.
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
