30 on 30
The day was the day that I did my 30 on 30 run. It is hard to put in words the amount of time that it took me and what was going on through my head when doing this crazy run.
All I knew was that I was running 30 miles. I had a goal and I knew it was going to be tough. 6am was the start time and I wanted to finish in 7 hours. My brother was going to be my support team and I felt a little scared to do this. I knew what I was up against mentally but not physically.
The run started off early at 6am. I had a picture taken and I had my brother follow me promptly on the bike. I wanted him to take pictures at every mile to get my progress in which I think he accomplished along with some video he had.
My nervousness built up as I progressed through the run feeling the tiredness and the pain as he gradually came up as each mile was added. The first hour was good. I kept a good pace but didn’t want to push any harder than I know I should. If I did I think I would have suffered more in the end. It was hard to tell.
My biggest struggle came to the long straightaways through Kearny Villa Road and Harbor Drive. I hate them because it is a never ending straight distance and you see the end and it seems so far. All these thoughts go through your head as you take each step. For me it was tough to think about.
I remember getting to some of the nicer areas and remembering running them during my previous training runs. It was a great sight to see some friends come along during the last 10 miles to cheer me on a take pictures. Their willingness to support me kind of brought me to tears behind my glasses. I almost was crying inside to feel that they made a difference in my life and to come out of their way to show me some support for a goal that I have been eyeing for a couple of months.
Bachman Place was probably one of the tougher places to run. The hill was endless and steep especially at around 4 hours into the run. It was hot and I couldn’t run so I walked it. Harbor Drive was the worst. It was about 6 miles from my final destination and I knew how long it could take but I wanted to get to the end already knowing it was noon and I wanted to finish by 1pm. My legs were dying, my body was aching and I could only keep a slower pace of about 15-20 mins per mile. I was walking a lot and could feel the pain in my feet the most.
Not running 2 weeks prior because of other issues and personal things going on kept my training to a minimum. I knew I could have trained more and I new that it could affect my training. I finally got to the end where a bunch of my coworkers stood outside waiting for me to get there. I was totally surprised by them coming out and supporting me on my great accomplishment.
Until next year, what could happen? 31 on 31? Wait and see!
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