Rainy Running

I was in Washington D.C. this weekend for my friend Sheila's bachelorette party, and I didn't get the chance to do my long run before I got there.  I was coming to D.C. from the suburbs of Boston where I spent the Jewish holiday, and it was difficult enough to do my 8-mile run on Friday let alone a 17-miler on Saturday.  I was seriously nervous about my 17-miler after a night of partying in D.C. and then a 5 hour drive back to NYC today.

The bachelorette was really fun last night.  The best part was that Sheila really loved all the activities her sisters planned for her, and it was so much fun to celebrate such an exciting occasion in my dear friend's life.  So many Sig Taus were there to share in the fun!

Sheila!

I usually get a little out of hand with the drinking when my best friends from college and I get together, but I managed to control myself last night and only had a few drinks spread through the night.  Before bed I drank a Powerade Zero, and even though I didn't get a good night's rest because we went to bed so late and left for NYC so early in the morning, I was able to eat a bagel and drink lots of water during the ride.  I took a little nap when I got back to the city, and then, despite the fact that it was raining, off I went to run 17 miles.

After talking with Katie, Anne Marie and Sarah, I learned that it's okay to stop to walk and regroup during long runs.  I think this advice directly resulted in me having a good run today.  I was tired and hated being in the rain, but I took it nice and slow and walked a little several times to drink water and eat my delicous Powerbar Gel Blasts.  I also ran a slightly different course thanks to Katie's advice, and saw the West Side Highway north of 59th Street for the first time.  It was beautiful up there!  I'm not going to lie, 17 miles felt far, but I was not dead by the end of it and it wasn't the torture that I was dreading it to be.  Thank goodness for my wonderful marathon expert friends!