So...Tired...

Despite my near inability to move right now, today was pretty great.

We were supposed to meet at Riverside Park up at W 72nd St this morning. I was out a little late last night and by the time I got up and got myself together, I was running quite late. By the time I got there, everyone had already left and Ramon was teasing me. I was already frustrated b/c I assumed the run would involve the WS HWY route, which I live near and could have done on my own. I was really not sure why I bothered getting up that morning, aside from it being my last run with the NYC team until the marathon. But it's a good thing I did. This morning the city closed Park Ave to vehicle traffic and turned it over to the pedestrians and bikers, and I had no idea. So essentially the plan was to run along the river, then cut over to Park around 14th St or Houston, depending on how long we wanted to run. I had decided to try for about 12 miles, thinking I would walk if it got to be too much. I was loaded up with gu and water and Gatorade. It was a glorious day with a fresh breeze and dazzling sunshine, and not nearly as hot as it has been.

At 14th St I talked to one of the coaches who suggested going up Park and then doing a loop in Central Park to add some mileage, since 72nd to 14th is just under 3 miles. I was kinda cruising, though, and I ended up at 2nd Ave before I realized that I had way over-shot. I think I was looking for a Park Ave sign and forgot about the name change. So I jumped back over and ran up Park and holy crap. It was so beautiful, and there weren't that many people out yet (it was around 9-9:30), and there was something truly amazing about being able to run up the middle of that huge street. Then we got to take the ramp up to Grand Central and around the back. Not for the first time, I desperately wished for a tiny camera I could clip to my fuel belt.

At 72nd, I entered the Park and headed north. I took a loop around the reservoir (about 1.6 miles), then came back out at E 90th and kept on going north until I hit the 102nd St transverse. By this time I was beginning to hurt, and if I'd been sure one of the smaller paths was more direct I would have cut across earlier. I walked across the transverse, then steeled myself for the push back to W 72nd. It started to get a little scary at that point. I knew I was going to far exceed the 2.5 hours I planned to be out, and because I was late to begin with I was afraid people would be getting worried (we have a bag watch and my crap was there). I was also not sure whether I should just grab a cab and have them wait for me to get my wallet from the park or what, because I wasn't sure that I would even be able to walk all the way back. Somehow, though I kept going. Near the end I actually sped up. This happens to me a lot: I think I can't possibly go another step, and then I realize how close I am to the end and suddenly get faster. More proof that distance running is a great deal about psychological preparation.

When I got home I actually rushed back out with a camera to take advantage of the views of Grand Central just before they opened the avenue back up. Then I hightailed it back home, where I'm now sitting in a daze. I checked the distance. Before this, 10.5 miles was my longest run. Today, when I'd aimed for something like 12, I ended up with almost 14. I was running for just over 3 hours and my pace was about 13:11. 14 freakin miles. No wonder my arches are screaming, especially following 3 days of long walks.