Reed Dunn, Senior Recruitment Marketing Manager:
There are less than six weeks separating me from the December 4 Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas. And – for the first time – I really see myself physically and mentally being able to cross the finish line.
Last weekend’s long run was a very intimidating nine and a half miles. I tried to pump myself up for it all week. My co-workers can attest to this, because this race has become just about the only thing I talk about at any given point in the day. Knowing that distance was the longest I ever would have run in my life meant I needed to try and get in a mental place that would allow me to succeed.
As I set out for my longest ever run Saturday morning, I didn’t have an exact plan of attack mapped out. I knew where I was going to start and where I thought I would finish. There were a few different options for what would happen in the middle.
This also would be the first time I refueled during my run with running energy gel, which has been a topic I have researched and discussed with all of the distance runners I know. A co-worker gave me two packets of GU Jet Blackberry-flavored gel to try after I quickly dismissed a raspberry flavored Shot from the Clif family of products.
Before leaving my apartment, I dropped the two packets of energy gel in the pocket of my shorts. I put on a light jacket, as it was quite a crisp fall morning. My mental planning included what I would do with the jacket if I got so overheated mid-run that I needed to lose a layer. I decided if I couldn’t comfortably tie it around my waist, I would just throw it to the side for someone else to find. The jacket was never removed.
I took off walking about a mile to my planned starting point and tried to get outside of my head with a mix of music that included songs from Eminem, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and a David Guetta mix or two. Starting off, I immediately felt this would be impossible. I convinced myself I had to use the restroom, that it was too cold and that I just wouldn’t be able to get back to my apartment should I shut down halfway through the run.
The first three miles were not good at all. I couldn’t find my pace. I couldn’t settle into my breath. And I couldn’t figure out which of the routes I’d considered would be the best for me. At that moment, I discovered one of the GU packets had bounced out of my pocket. Even though I only expected to need one, I was letting myself get worked up. It was as if these were the only nutritional opportunities I had left at all.
Mentally, I was a complete mess. Physically, I was feeling just fine. I took a sip of water, caught my stride and carried on with the route.
By mile five, I had gotten myself back in a mental place that allowed for smooth running. I was more than halfway finished, and I could tell my body would allow me to keep pushing at least that distance. Then I encountered another hill.
My running came to a crawl, as I pumped my arms and tried to push forward on the uphill sidewalk lined by trees dripping in leaves turning a golden yellow and candy apple red. The incredible scenery was distraction enough for me to keep steady.
When it came time, at about mile six, for me to give in to the GU, I pulled the only one I had from my pocket and squeezed about a third of the packet into my mouth. It tasted disgusting. And I wanted to gag. But I swallowed it as quickly as possible and took another squeeze. It was almost impossible to swallow – in fact, Idid gag – so I opened my water bottle for a quick splash.
I almost got sick. I spit up the water and started coughing. It was not a pretty site, so I completely stopped for a moment to gather myself. With a little more than a 5K worth of running left to do, I needed to get it together. And by this time, I was about six miles from my apartment.
I started running again. Within a few minutes, I felt a great burst of energy. I was picking up speed, improving my form, and I was giving all of the credit to some magical instant kick of energy from the gel I despised.
The next three miles went better than any others that day. Then, as I approached the last half a mile, I also approached the steepest hill of my run. For whatever reason – probably the fact I knew I’d mentally pushed this far – I just kicked it into high gear and knocked out that last bit.
When I finished, I was about three miles from my apartment. It certainly was a good place to be done, as the walk back was the perfect cool down period for my body. It also was about the perfect amount of time to congratulate myself on not giving up and to start preparing myself for the next long run – a 10.5 mile distance in a couple of weeks.
To celebrate, I stopped and picked up two slices of greasy pizza at my favorite by-the-slice counter. I think I’ve heard these types of carbohydrates are the best way to refuel. Certainly, the pizza tasted much better than the running gel that almost ended me.
Reed Dunn is senior recruitment marketing manager at Alere Wellbeing. Follow his journey with regular updates on the Alere Wellbeing blog, as he prepares to run his first half marathon on December 4 in Las Vegas.