Long Run 11 Miles

This week I was all set to do only 11 miles for my long run. It was a drop back week meaning I had built about three weeks in a row of increasing mileage and now I had a week of lower mileage to rest and recover. After being torn down from the stress of the previous weeks' efforts, the muscles now repair and rebuild in a stronger manner. I was to continue maintaing the 150 heart rate effort even with the shorter distance.

I had spent the evening before sitting in my van for nearly four hours waiting for runners to come by. They were a part of the Rival Game Relay which was having its inaugural run that evening. The relay teams started in Ames and would end near Iowa City. It was all in conjunction with the Iowa State/Iowa football game. I knew two runners that would be on two different relay teams and was very excited that the relay would come through Huxley. I'll cut the whole 8:30 pm-12:30 am down to a few soundbites.

I didn't realize how many teams would be out there. 

It turns out only eleven. 

The teams had different start times based on the pace they figured they would be able to average over the course of the run. This meant some started at 6 pm and others started at 2 am. With only 11 teams or more realistically 11 runners on the course at a time, it wasn't like there were a wave of people coming through Huxley.

I saw four runners in that time span.

I bought and brought enough gummy bears for 100 hundred runners.

96 runners missed out on some fine tasting gummy bears.

I know this for a fact.

I shooshed a cat away from the gummy bears.

I scared a neighbor who came out to check on the van parked near the trail behind his house. He had a baseball bat in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Poor guy. I should have offered him some gummy bears. 

I caught up on all my social media.

I organized all my Pinterest boards.

I made glow in the dark necklaces for 12 runners. Only one runner took one.

I saw an incredible moonrise from my side view mirror. Then it went up into the clouds and the runners probably never saw it.

I had a chatty conversation with a guy on a bike named Sean who was with the relay and was out to help the runners. He started in Cambridge. He thought he was headed towards Baxter. I informed him that he was in Huxley and that Baxter was east of Cambridge. 

The cows who usually stare at me when I run passed were lowing all evening long. If I were out running in that area in the dark for the first time and heard a cow low, well, I would probably leave a chip myself.

I crawled into bed by 1:00 am. 

After dropping the kids off for school the next morning, I fell back in bed. I knew I would have better effort with a bit more sleep. For the merits of rest and recovery see above.

I woke up at noon.

I was out the door by 12:45 and now hoped to get in all 11 miles and not be late picking up kids.

I made it with time for chocolate milk.

And that's my 11 mile long run.

For the next three weeks my mileage increases for my long runs and for the week overall. I'll be starting at 36 miles for total weekly mileage and 18 miles for the long run. Go ahead and say some prayers for me.   

Thanks for reading!