15 Miles

I survived the 13.1 miles of the Chicago Distance Classic with only a few minor injuries (blisters on four toes - one of which a blood blister). So to prepare for my 15 mile run I stopped by Running for Kicks for some new shoes and some GU packs. I have never had these packets before, but was told they were necessary for marathon training. Picked up about a dozen of these and was ready for my long run.

The run on Saturday went really well actually. I was running solo, so I anticipated wanting to stop about half way through or maybe mile 12, but I kept going until about mile 13.5. My legs were killing me. So I walked for about a minute, then finished the rest of the run. I took two GU packs: one I took 15 minutes before my run, and the other about 1:15 into the run. Neither flavor tasted good, but the Strawberry was better than Orange.

When I got back home, two of the blisters had popped. But that is not a bad thing. These were the kinds of blisters you get from impact, not from rubbing against something. I remember getting blisters on my heel when I played football in highschool, and those were much more painful. The blisters I had on my toes were ugly, but didn't hurt.

Now I am faced with the decision if I should run the Banco Popular Half Marathon on Sept 14. The only reason I would run it would be that it coincides perfectly with my training schedule (my schedule shows 14 miles for the long run that week). Plus it is a lot more fun running in that atmosphere than running solo. We will see. I have a couple weeks to decide.