meh.

Saturday's run was a mixture of disappointment and pride all mixed into one which equals meh. It was my first 16 miles so I was nervous and excited all at the same time. I got to the trail and the weather was beautiful. I put a quick thank you in to the big man upstairs and then started the run with Sarah and was quickly joined by our mentor Amy.

We started out slightly faster than usual, but not much. It felt like a good pace though so I didn't question it. The trail was a loop of 8 miles that we did twice. The first loop was pretty smooth, although on the way back Sarah started to pick up the pace and Amy and I had to slow her down because we knew we wouldn't be able to do a second loop at that pace.

Before starting the second loop I put some athletic tape on my knees and gave some to Amy because my hips were really sore for some reason and it was making my knees sore. The tape really helped but all along the second loop I kept getting more and more sore. The last 4 miles were actually a little painful for me. I had serious mental struggle with the last 4 miles.

Right at the beginning of the last 4 miles, Amy got sick from over-hydrating/fueling. We walked with her for a minute and then I ran a slow pace with her and Sarah took off ahead of us like her amazing self. Amy stayed with me most of the way but the last half mile she sped up and finished out her mileage with a bang. I slowly made it back to the finish. It was a struggle. In the end I was proud of myself because I didn't give up and walk, I ran everything except that minute with Amy and Sarah, and because I finished 16 miles for the first time. But I was also disappointed with myself because I was so slow and my body was not cooperating with me. I feel like I could have done so much better. So all in all, I feel very meh about the whole situation.

After the run I swung by the waldo-mart picked up 2 bags of ice and went home to take an ice-bath. I was also very fail-cakes at this. I only lasted 10 minutes in it instead of the instructed 15-20. I got in and it was so cold that my feet were in pain. I almost screamed and cried from the pain. It felt good on my legs, hips, and butt, but my feet burned and stiffed. So after 10 minutes I crawled out of the tub and sat on the floor waiting for the burning to stop and some movement to come back to my feet and then I got in a luke-warm shower. I think I am going to talk to coach Jen about this because I was very worried about my feet. I was sore for the rest of the day, but today I am feeling much better if not a little tired.

My boyfriend's family is donating today! So a little more to add to the fundraising pot. I am going to try and boot-block with Sarah the next time she goes out. Please donate if you haven't already and encourage those you know to donate! Click on the link above the posts to get to my fundraising page. Thank you for all your support!