15 was the plan and I didn’t quite make it (I did 14.30 miles) due to several factors but I’m OK with that. I broke 13.1 and that is what I was most concerned about.
The first 4 miles felt easy except that I really really had to pee so I was very distracted looking for somewhere to go- I even considered ducking into bushes but just couldn’t do it- I ended up at Mickey D’s in Kerrisdale- fine. Clean, didn’t have to ask anyone for a key, a quick in and out.
I decided to continue down 41st Ave for a change in scenery and was still feeling very strong going up Camosun and along 29th until I passed mile 7 and there it was, the hip/knee pain. Damn. I decided that I could make it go away, I would summon up all the positive hippy dippy methods I could think of and make it go away. The first thing I did was I started chanting under my breath, “I’m gunna run a ma-ra-thon” That and a 2 minute walk break got me another mile, then I “drew out the pain” (with my hands, like I was pulling it out) and tossed it at the side of the road (couldn’t care less what passing motorist’s were thinking…”) again that got me another mile with a walk break in there, then I focused on my glutes and making them do all the work, again that got me to the next walk break- and then miraculously, the pain diminished- it didn’t disappear per se but I really felt I had worked through it, I even was able to pick up the pace a bit. I didn’t feel like I could go on much farther when I reached home and somehow when I modified my route for my pit stop and then got focused on getting rid of the pain I was only at 14.30 when I had “finished” so decided to call it a run.
Overall I’m happy with it. It will be interesting to see what happens with the new shoes I plan on getting on Monday or Tuesday. I’m still trying to figure out how to “jig” the schedule so I feel caught up. I have a 4 mile from this week that I must do tomorrow to get my mileage in- which might be a good thing in terms of making up the long run miles.
Baby steps.
Dr. Mamalegato 
Brava! VERY glad to hear that long run went well. 🙂 I did my 18 miles today and it was pretty good to begin with but then when I hit Spanish banks the weather got particularly nasty with some sleety rain and wind. I got sooo cold. Managed to hit the halfway point, stopped to walk and eat my gel, then realized I was very cold. Picked up the run again and decided I would stop at the next bathroom to use the air dryer to dry off my jacket (the rain had stopped, thank god). Hit the bathroom and was drying off the jacket, getting warm and feeling smart for deciding to take the time to warm up. When I started to run again I had such a pain in my knee! I realized it was subsiding as I kept going but recognized all was not well in knee land. I knew if I had to stop again I would not be able to start up so I just kept chugging. Made it to 17.3 and had a bit of a gut pain and just had to stop, so I ended up walking home from there. My knee really hurt. But I made it to 18 with a .7 mile walk. Wasn’t quite home yet and man it was hard getting there. Anyway.. I hope the knee recovers. I’m glad we decided to run together on the 20 because I really needed a distraction for the last 3 miles or so!
I don’t think you should ever imagine that your running is selfish. If you were deciding to devote yourself to do multiple marathons per year, or triathlons, or some such thing, but this is a one time thing for a few months and we’re nearly there. Sitting at home worrying about stuff will not help you feel less stressed, and as you found out, exercise has its mental benefits!
Feel free to call any time if you want discuss any of the other stuff going on. Not sure if my (or A’s) ideas are of much value, but either or both of us are always happy to listen!
LikeLike