uh, huh. that's right. 16 miles. and a gorgeous day it was - probably in the mid fifties, which is quiet a change from the sub zero temperatures i've been getting acclimated to. 16 miles is a long way to run no matter how you look at it. things felt great for around 14.5 miles and then i really started regretting not bringing along some goo or gummy bears to help replenish spent carbohydrates, since fluids like gatorade only take you so far. at about 15 miles i started wondering if i was just going to run out of gas. i wasn't in any pain, just...out...of...energy. usually at this point, particularly when you're running alone, it's difficult to assess whether you're just playing a big headgame with yourself or whether you really will run out of gas. objectively it's only a mile longer than the prior week's long run, but that doesn't mean much when you're in the thick of it.

speaking of headgames, there's a dirty little secret that they don't tell you when you decide that you want to start distance running. you'll lose a toenail. or two. it doesn't matter how much space you have in the toebox of your shoe, a toe will inevitably get bashed enough to bruise it sufficiently to begin the long, slow process of getting a new toenail. it's not painful, but it can give you plenty to ponder as you pile on the miles. after which run will you remove your sock to find an unattached toenail? i thought it might be this run, but my toenail next to by big toe on my right foot is a real fighter. i suspect i'll lose it sometime this week. oh the joys of distance running.

i'm doing the typical post-run ice and nsaids and everything appears to getting back to normal quickly.

next week, i'll add a few miles to the mid-week junk miles and leave the long run the same. for the mathematically inclined it's looking like 5, 8, 5 and 16 miles for a grand total of 34 miles.

i suppose in the interest of full disclosure, i'll add that this was the first week that i missed a run, but it was just a mid-week 4 miler so it's barely worth mentioning :-)

14 miles! that's over half a marathon! and i think this run felt the better than any in recent memory [ which haven't felt that bad ]. my legs are feeling noticeably stronger, which is a big help. i could have easily run another couple of miles today, which is a good sign that i'm not working things too hard [ relatively speaking ]. i seem to be doing a good job of respecting the long runs, by treating myself to a whopping plate of pasta and garlic bread the night before. there's nothing worse than thinking you can go into a long run powered on nachos and cheese [ a personal favorite ]

next week i'll cross the 30 mile mark by adding a mile to the mid week medium distance rund and two miles the long run. if you're keeping track at home, that's 4, 7, 4 and 16 miles for a grand total of 31 miles.

i ran the twelve miler and for good measure i added a mile to the midweek run. i'm getting oh-so-close to the half-marathon milestone for my long run and i nearly ran a whole marathon's distance this week.

my big lesson for the week was that you really shouldn't try to squeeze out the last remaining weeks on a pair of running shoes. nope. your body is far, far more important than getting a couple of extra weeks of life on a pair of shoes. i started getting a few odd aches and pains this week, which i suspected might be due to my shoes wearing out. i put on a new pair for the 12 miler and things were noticeably better, so horray for that.

next week the long run is a 14 miler. i'll keep the mid-week junk miles the same as last week - 4 miles, 6 miles, and 4 miles for a grand total of 28 miles.

i'm happy to report that my weekly updates are almost getting mundane. i finished the week with a solid 11 mile run. the whole week felt strong with no real problems and i'm feeling more confident than ever. my biggest problem so far seems to be still not having a good sense for "good" and "bad" pain. i guess injury tends to do that to you, making you pensive and doubting. my best indicator appears to be the fact that i'm not taking any ibuprofin after runs, although i do need to keep up with a few of the exercises that my physical therapist gave me.

next week, i'll keep the weekday runs the same and add a mile to the long run for a total of 12 miles.

interesting. jeff veen discovered a use for his treo during the motorola marathon:

"So as Leslie ran, I cruised around the route on a borrowed vintage Schwinn with my Treo in my pocket. I was looking to meet up with her just after the halfway point, and ride along as support for a while. I pulled up by W's old house, checked the Web page, and saw that she'd be coming by in about 15 minutes. I grabbed a cup of coffee, waited a bit, and sure enough, there she was. I pedaled along side her for about an hour, giving her exact split times every time we passed a sensor, calculating her pace as we progressed, so she could set her tempo accordingly."

this is all the more interesting because despite the fact that i'm a motorola employee i had no idea there was a motorola marathon. maybe i should do a better job coordinating business trips. i'm looking for dorky things to do during the flying pig. maybe i'll snag a camera phone and moblog the marathon. i wonder how the photos would turn out? blurry? maybe i should buy a camera and do some testing.