Strenous Sixteen & Ferocious Fourteen! (Challenging okay!)

I'm starting the blog post this time! Becka will be so proud of me. I just can't wait to see the tears well up in her eyes. Saturday's run started out pretty scary for me! I have never done 16 miles let alone 15. I reached two milestones in one run!  I have to say though... this might have been one of the tougher runs I have done in the beginning! I tried to stay positive thinking of all the muscles I was building climbing those hills. Haha. The ending was perfect though. I loved the rolling hills.

I'm not sure about 16 miles! At mile 10 I felt like I could go forever! But my body was in pain at 14. My IT band started to stress me out and then it became a little mental from there. But I finished it and stayed with the time I wanted. It kinda sucks that all us fishies are on different schedules. I love running with my friends.  I pretty much just have to entertain myself for two hours. My head starts to play math games on me! I started thinking about exactly how long we are actually running at one time and it started becoming a little freaky to me. I was thinking how it takes an hour and a half to get to St. George but we were still running 2+ hours! Crazy what we are able to do though. I'm super proud of us all.


I am so proud Lex!!!  whoot whoo..  I'm proud of you blogging and of our running.   We really can do hard things. The first 6 (8 for you 16 milers) of this run were hard, but we did it.  We rocked it!!  We were really happy to see this sign though, because after the intersection, we knew what to expect. 

We were even happier to see this sign because we knew it was downhill from there and we were home free!!

A really great thing about this run is it was our first long run that all of us fishies got to do together.  so of course we needed a picture.  =)..  We are spent right here..  We gave it all we had and we are ready for this:  (ice bath)

An Ice bath is all I could even think about the last few miles.  I just wanted to get done so I could get to my ice bath.  I took one the week before and really hated it, but realized that it really helps not be so sore and it feels good on those aching legs!  This running thing is really making me do lots of crazy things!  I never in a million years would have thought I would be looking forward or even taking ice bathes!!  It's just going to get better.  It's exciting to push yourself to new limits....  15 miles here I come!  

Well I guess I will throw in my two bits about my First 14 miles Ever!!  I started reading (well listening to) Born to run  a few days before we set out to do our 14 miles. I was all motivated and excited to be "one with the road." This book really is motivational and makes you want to run everywhere you go. I had a really good attitude about about running 14 miles until I realized where we were going to be running. Who am I to step up and say anything so I just kept quiet and let my fellow fishes take the lead :) as soon as we set out my nerves started playing games with me and behind the bushes I went! The first I don't know six miles were rolling hills with a gradual incline the entire way, once we hit the intersection, turned and climbed that nice Big hill we were setting pretty for some down hill time. It was nice! I was feeling good.... Until mile 10 and then the last four miles seemed like an eternity! I turned off my book and chatted with my girls and that my friends got me through it! Four miles became three then two then one then DONE! I can't say I loved it or even that I felt accomplished, I can just say I DID IT!!