i AM a runner.

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I had been feeling pretty shitty the last few days. I slept wrong again, so my neck was bothering me, but not as bad as a few weeks ago. I've been busy at work, and not sleeping well, so it was all catching up with me. I was on the phone with a friend on Saturday, telling her about how the ringing in my ears was getting a little worse - and  confessing to her that I didn't think I was going to run today - I was feeling run down, and not very happy. I really felt like I needed to sleep.  I made sure to go to bed earlier last night, and I turned off the clock alarm and the Sleep app alarm on my iPad, so that I would have the opportunity to sleep as long as I needed.

My usual wake up time is 5:30. I was up and wide awake at 7 am. My neck was stiff, and my left flank around my ribs felt tight. My ears were ringing and buzzing like crazy. I had a cup of coffee, read some running blogs (bless you ALL)- and became inspired. I had it in my sights to try Bethpage Park. I SO needed a change of scenery, and I've heard so much about it from bloggers and running friends on Facebook. I was compelled to get out despite the way I felt for a few reasons. It was supposed to be the last warm day in at least a week and a half, by most weather accounts. The last time I had neck issues, the runs actually made me feel BETTER. I could not pass up this opportunity today. 

It was 40 degrees on my deck (it faces north, btw) when I left for the park. On my way there, I watched the thermometer in the car slowly rise, until by the time I got there, it was 44 degrees. I opted not to wear a jacket that I had brought.  I had my water belt with water in one flask, and GU Berry dissolved in the other. I had eaten 3/4 of a P90X PB bar on the way there, sipping water with it. I had 2 tech shirts, (I really could have only worn one) - my gloves, skull cap and electronics. With my ears buzzing, I didn't feel like listening to music,  the radio, or podcasts. Again, it felt really strange not to have anything to concentrate on as I started out, but by the end of the first mile, I was loving just listening to my footsteps and breathing.
A few miles in I came up behind a man that looked like he was running the same pace I was. I stayed behind him until he turned around at mile 5.5. I kind of missed him after he left, although he did do a lot of spitting. 
I was so happy to be out there. The trail I thought, was actually lovely.  There were bridges, overpasses, running streams, and larger bodies of water. It was supposed to be pretty windy today, and I thought that the trees would act as a buffer against some of the stronger gusts, depending on the direction the path was taking. I imagined that it must be cool there during the summer months - the greenery lending shade. I believe someone told me that about this trail.
I had not changed my pace goals on Runmeter, so she was reminding me when I was not staying within a 9:30 - 10:00 pace. I wanted to stay around 10:30 - but I was feeling very good, and I'll have to check the final stats,  it wasn't till the end of the run that I NEEDED to slow down.
There was no discomfort as I approached the 7,8, 9 mile mark! My breathing was steady, my stride felt even. I came up under a funky overpass with water streaming over a man made fall - then to my utter horror and spewing 'eeeww!' I found myself running behind some commercial brick building spilling out onto a highway!

 I abruptly turned around, my serene demeanor fading fast - and I couldn't wait to get back under that overpass and back onto the trail. 
I stopped to take a picture.

The run on the way back seemed faster than the way out. By that time, there were more people around, lots more bikes. A group run had started from somewhere in the middle, and I was following them, but not able to keep up. I had to remind myself that I had been running an hour + already, and they were fresh. I was not. A few more miles later, they had turned around, and they passed me coming from the other direction. They could have been going out for 5 or 6 miles.

The hill going back was rough. As I came back up to the entry of the park, I needed to walk up that hill. By that time, my left knee and ankle were acting up. But at least the discomfort had waited until the very end. I started running again before I reached the top of the hill, and then went around the parking lot to make sure I completed 13 + miles. I  stretched diligently when I got back to the car. I had a half hour drive home, and stiffening up is always a problem.

But I was thrilled.

Could I possibly be made for distance instead of speed?

Runmeter Data

Magellan Data

P.S. The discrepancy of pace and distance is a little annoying here, even if I did forget to shut off Runmeter a hundred yards or so after the Magellan. It shouldn't be off by so much. If I remember correctly, MapMyRun wasn't as far off as Runmeter is when compared to the Magellan. Anyone using Runmeter have the same observations?

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