This morning I ran the ING Tune-Up, an 18-mile race in Central Park. It consists of three loops of the park. If you've ever run that outer loop of Central Park, you know it's hilly. In a nutshell, doing three of them sucks balls. But hey, it's gotta be done. It's good practice after all.
This was my longest run this far of the training period. I did 17 last week, but did it along the Hudson so it wasn't so monotonous and of course, not so hilly. You're probably thinking, "wow, that sounds fucking awful." Well, I'm not gonna lie, it pretty much is. It's three hours of my life, just running. All by my lonesome. I have my iPod and some pretty great tunes but it still not enough to keep my brain occupied. So you may also be thinking "What could she possibly think about for that amount time running?" Well you know what? Great question, so I thought I'd go ahead and share what goes through my brain during a long run like that since I am sure you are all dying to know.
"Why am I doing this? I hate myself right now."
"At least this is perfect fall running weather. I lucked out on that front."
"Oooh, that guy has a Bears hat on. Too bad he's not cute. Ugh."
"I love 'Roar', but wish it came on later in the run to inspire me more. Guess I will just have to play it again. And again. And again."
"Runners certainly do come in all shapes and sizes."
"Man, I should be so much thinner with all of this running. WTF is wrong with my metabolism?"
"Why is that woman wearing that for this long run? That's got to be uncomfortable."
"Those two dudes look hot, I need to catch up with them and get a better look."
"I will never ever get sick of 'Call Me Maybe.' Ever."
"I seriously love Gatorade. I could drink it all the time."
"Why is that dude taking like eight gels. Yeah, they're free, but is it worth carrying them the next ten miles? Weirdo."
"There is not enough body glide in the world to stop my bra from chafing. This is def going to burn later."
"First 'Now or Never' and then 'Clique'... I'm just going to have go ahead and play these two in a row again. Love."
"Ugh, I don't want to go to work tomorrow. I need to marry rich so I don't have to work."
"I really don't understand how people can stop and wait in line to pee. I can't imagine pulling my sweaty shorts down and then pulling them back up."
"I want a cheeseburger! Oh wait, that's why I am not thinner."
"There are a lot of cute guys running today. Wouldn't it be an awesome story if I met my future husband in a race? Wishful thinking."
"Why do I feel like I am going to puke? This always happens around mile 15. Maybe I should just burp. But what if puke comes out? This sucks."
"This is fucking brutal. Not another fucking hill?!"
"Just put me out of my misery now."
"New York Road Runners should totally do runner happy hours. Or would that encourage drinking and unhealthy behavior and go against what they are encouraging. I should email them. Hmmm..."
"And...we are getting passed. I am so envious of these fast runners. They truly amaze me."
"I seriously have great taste in running music."
"I can't believe I'm almost done. Fucking finally."
"Ugh, I am going to have to do eight more miles on the big day. I'll get there. I've done it before and I'll do it again."
"There is the finish line!! I am so proud of myself. I'm so glad I did this!"
"I wonder what my time was on this last time? I must go home and compare it immediately. Why am I such a psycho about this?"
"Thank god next weekend is only thirteen miles. Phew."
This was clearly just a sneak peak into some of my thoughts during this race. If I told you all of them, you'd probably think I was certifiable so I am just going to hold off on that. With three hours of running, there is a ton more random shit that comes in and out of my head. Basically, three hours is a long time to spend with your thoughts. I have two more long runs (20 miles) before the big day with shorter ones (12) in between, so I know that there is much more to come. Until then, its time to rest, hydrate, and just relax on the rest of this beautiful Sunday.
***Also posted on JonesandB, the other site I write for. Check them out!! And like their FB page too!! Please support both my writing projects.
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