8 Miles

8 Mile, it's that place Eminem grew up in in Detroit. It's a scary place I think, if I'm remember correctly. A hard place. Boy is that fitting.

Running my first 8 mile run last Saturday was a challenge. Even the idea of walking that far seems like a bit of a challenge. But we ran.

It started out well, until I hit mile two and had a side stitch. I was pretty upset with my body. Two miles is nothing. I'm pretty used to that. To have to take a walking break that early into the run was just a pisser. But I walked it off and just got back to running as soon as possible. The rest of the run was pretty uneventful. It was a nice flat route, the sun was shining, people were out in droves along the waterfront. Portland is a beautiful place to run when the blue skies decide to shine down on you. The very last 1/4 mile was hard though. I was tired. My legs were weak. I just wanted it to be over and my breathing was pretty labored. But I finished it running, deciding it was worth it to push myself and get it over with.

I did learn on this run that I have got to find a better way to keep sugar, or electrolytes in my system. It was pretty easy to notice my energy level drop every three to four miles. As soon as I had a good swig of my Gatorade I felt good again. I'll have to spend some time in the next few weeks looking at options for glucose. I think REI has a whole section just for that. Kind of a funny observation, the Gatorade makes me burpy! I think as I run it bounces around in my little hydration belt bottles and gets air bubbles in it. I drink that in, and then suddenly I'm belching up a storm. Not the best feeling while running. Another thing to look into...

Overall I have to admit that while it's been a challenge and I am sore and tired after these long runs, it's not as bad as I'd anticipated. I'm actually pretty proud of myself for just surviving. I've been out of shape for a long time and this is a real solid attempt to get back into a healthy body. Now if I could just give up the sour cream and onion chips. Baby steps.

Next week 9 miles, but more like 1.5 + 6 + 1.5. We're running the Cinco De Mayo 10k with a little jog before and after to make up the full 9. We're into crazy people running distances. I am officially a crazy runner person I think.