20 miles of burn

I ran 20 miles on Sunday.  2 miles were easy on my way to the start line of the LBI 18 Mile Run.  The temps were ok (mid 60's), but the sun was warm at the 10:30am start.  My plan for this race, rather than trying to better my PR,  was to just log the 20 miles for the day.  2 before, then run easy for the first half and pick up the pace for the second half.  Total of 20 miles -- the longest I've run since May of 2010. 

My sister and I ran the first 13 miles of the race together.  We kept the pace easy and comfortable.  At the 13 mile mark/water stop, though, I felt a weird stabby pain in my left lower front side.  A cramp?  Maybe -- but it didn't feel like a normal cramp.  Whatever it was, it stayed with me for the duration of the race.  WTH!? I tried taking in fluids and then fuel.  I tried stretching it out.  I had to stop and walk just to catch my breath each time the pain returned.  I might fade momentarily, but it kept hanging in there and taking my breath away.  SO FRUSTRATING!!  The sun was hot, but I was feeling ok otherwise.  I had just run 18 miles solidly two weeks ago, and here I was having trouble with the last 5 miles of this race.  AGH!

Maybe because I wasn't trying to run a certain time, or maybe because I knew I was already 15 miles into my run at that 13 mile mark, or maybe because I kept thinking it would go away, I never got dejected about this speedbump.  Frustrated, yes, but not dejected.  Pissed, confused, frustrated, but not down and out.  The last five miles of the race, which were really miles 15-20 of the complete run, were slow and tough, but I finished strong and felt good about getting that 20 miles done. 

And when I got home, I jumped right in the ocean with my running clothes still on.  My nephew watched from the beach and asked why I was just standing there.  I told him this was my ice bath and I wanted my legs to take in the cold water.  He decided not to join me, so I dunked my head under the waves and then headed home. When I stripped off my top, my sister noticed my sunburn.

I had put SPF on before the race, and yet I still got sunburned. Huh. Shocker. I had another race day with warm temps and full sunshine.