Two weeks ago, Diana and I ran 20 miles after work.
It sucked.
I have done a few 20 milers before work, and I thought that was crazy. But I now know that 20 miles post work is even crazier.
The main thing dictating the post work run was the St. Patrick’s Day Fun Run on Saturday morning. This is one of our favorite races in Kansas City, and we were not going to skip this race due to a silly 20 miler. Another factor was that I had an engagement party on Saturday night and figured it would be a late night out with friends. Sometimes these long runs can be really hard on my legs (I get really bad leg cramps and nerve pain) and make me so tired I can’t stay awake past 8pm.
I arrived at Diana’s around 5pm on Friday evening. I changed out of my work clothes into my favorite Target outfit and we headed out the door by 5:15pm. We decided the easiest and safest option would be to around her neighborhood. While this is easy because we know we won’t get lost, it is not easy because it can be very hilly.
The first 10 miles were all hills. Our legs were burning from a day of being on our feet and our stomachs were growling from not eating enough between lunch and the run.
At mile 10, my watch beeped “Batteries Low”. Funny I thought, because “Batteries Low” was exactly how I felt. I was tired from the week and my legs were dragging from the hills. I was also a little dehydrated from my happy hour(s) the night before. I would not suggest wine flights the night before a 20 miler.
Evidence of the wine flights. Cooper’s Hawk was a blast…if you haven’t gone there you should!
Lauren and I drinking our wine and laughing at the local KC Weatherman photo bombing our pic.
The sun began to set and we continued to stay focused on pounding out the miles, as well as not being hit by cars.
I am sure that everyone driving by us either thought, “You are running on Friday night? Get a life!”, or “Get off the roads you crazy women!”
At mile 15, we made a pit stop at Diana’s house to get a new watch for back up. I was shocked that mine still wasn’t dead, but we couldn’t count on it to last us the entire 20. We also couldn’t count on my RunKeeper app to tell us the correct mileage. I was shocked to see how off the distance was (it was almost a mile behind my Garmin).
The last 5 miles we stayed on flat roads and focused on getting it done. Our conversation had died down a bit, which really was due to how tired we were getting.
When the watched beeped 20, we had a mini celebration. We were so happy to be done with this run, and even happier knowing we could just have FUN the rest of the weekend.
We waddled inside Diana’s house, grabbed our drinks and laid on the floor with our legs up (btw – draining your legs is the best thing ever. If you don’t do that, you should. It really helps me with my leg cramps and nerve pains).
DONE!!! And the just like my legs, the watch never died either.
Draining our legs.
When I got home from Di’s, I was beyond exhausted. I took a warm shower, ate some eggs, then got into bed and called it a night.
Did this run suck? Yes. But am I so glad I got this run out of the way on Friday so I could have fun with friends the rest of the weekend? YES!!!
Here are some photos from the weekend, that made the crazy long run worth every since step.
Ready to run St. Pat’s Day race! I’d say our time of 36 minutes was pretty impressive, especially being 13 hours post 20 miles!
Bloody Mary’s.
Half of the Boston Crew.
Ellen and Bran’a engagement party!!
Hi beanie.
All instargram’ed up and pretty!
Mwah!
Please share your crazy long run or hard workout experience! I love to hear from people that are as nutty as me.
xo,
Ali
I didnt know about the leg draining. I will have to try that. Today my 18 miler turned into 16.22 due to me not setting my alarm and running out of time before life took over. It was tough yowards the end bc the sleet was pelting me in the face. Lol! Nice job on your 20!
You need to try that. I think I am going to write a post this week about what to do after long runs to avoid the crazy soreness. There are a lot of tricks that help a TON!
I would LOVE that! I have loved all your blogging this week. Everytime I see your new link I get excited to read it. 🙂
So glad I got to share some of that weekend with you! Keep up the hard work, you’re getting so close to Boston! Xoxox!
Love reading your blog. I am learning all kinds of things from you. I signed up for my first half and I am so nervous . That distance seems like such a long reach for me. I am slowly building distance. Working at 4 miles now and hope to get better from there. The half is in October. I am hoping I gave myself enough time to train. Congrats on the 20 miler!
That is so exciting that you made the commitment to your first half! I think your first race experiences are the most special. You don’t know what to expect and you are so proud of yourself when you cross that finish line. When the training starts to get hard, just imagine the pride you are about to feel. That always makes me feel better. And yes, I do think you are giving yourself enough time to prepare. You are really smart to ease into it. If you ever have questions, send me an email or facebook message. Always love helping out people working towards a new adventure!
Thanks so much 🙂 I really appreciate that!
oh wow, I am amazed you pulled off 20 after work! i tried once to do a 16-miler after work and only made it to 11 before i quit. just too tired/hungry after a long day! but awesome that you did it and had a friend with you!
I made the mistake of doing an 18 miler on a Friday night after work. Never again! Congrats on getting it done though!
I was sitting at my desk eating lunch trying to talk myself into running tonight after work and really not wanting to. While my after work run is only a 3 miler, Mondays are always un-motivating. But now after this story, I think I’ll get my legs out there and get it done. If you can crank out 20, I’m pretty sure I can handle 3.
So glad my tale of 20 miles could help motivate you to get your run in 🙂 BTW, Mondays suck. If I put off my Monday run until after work, it won’t get done either. So you aren’t alone with that one!
I did 11 miles on a Friday evening a few weeks ago. They weren’t the best miles ever, but it was actually a great mental strength run that left me feeling like I could do anything!
Cooper’s Hawk is a “chain”! I think that sums it up!
We been there and frankly it is sad to have a restaurant like that in Plaza location. There isn’t anything spectacular about that place to be honest. As soon as I entered my first guess was man this looks like a “chain” restaurant and I was right (thanks to smartphones)! It is just like going to Cheese Cake Factory if you know what I mean here!;-)
It is so huge considering they remodeled the 810 zone place and one feel like one gets lost! It isn’t intimate at all. The wines are alright and there isn’t anything special about it to have something like this in Plaza location. There is nothing to feel gaga about Cooper Hawk! And I am not even trying to compare with Michelin star restaurants. One doesn’t have to have a michelin stars in order to be a great restaurant and wine bar!
Sorry if I broke anyone’s heart!