Putting the tiger in the cat

"The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat."
          - Bill Squires

 

I ran 16 freaking miles on Saturday. 16miles. That is like a HM plus a 5K.

And it was pretty good, I did still get that tight feeling in my legs and stopping for a red light was kind of torture, but it was really good. I didn't plan ahead very well and didn't have my sports beans to take with me so I improvised by buying a bag of candy corn and taking a few pieces of those. It worked out really well, it may just be my new bean alternative, or maybe I will shun beans altogether (those suckers are 1.00/bag and candy corn will be on clearance for 90% off in 5 weeks or so.)

One thing I need to read up on is arm pain/fatigue. My arms started to really get tingly and crampy around mile 14 or so. I assume this is normal from having them in the same position for so long but shaking them out didn't really seem to help. I have pseudo-hypochondria moments sometimes and on Sat I kept teasingly reminding myself that the first sign of a heart attack is arm pain. But, I'm happy to report, no heart attack and I made it home as pleased as punch with myself for running 16miles!

I do need to come to some sort of decision about a few pieces of gear.

My water bottle: I HATE carrying it. I also have nothing but disdain for fuel belts. They irk me in so many ways. The number one and silliest is that running and running clothes are already terribly unflattering so putting a fanny pack on makes the image even more ridiculous.

My iPod: My beloved nano is dying and they just came out with a new super cool nano, BUT the new ipod touch can support Nike+iPod! But I kind of think I want a tactile control so that I can change songs or volume or whatever without looking at the device because, let's face it, running is hard enough without trying to multi-task.