20 miles done and 53 Days Until Competition... WTF!!!

Where did the time go? My first post had race day at like 200 days. Now I only have 53 until the starter gun goes off. Hooooly crap!!!

FITNESS NEWS
Whilst using the cable cross machine (one of my all-time faves and can I just say that men dominate this machine and as soon as I see it open, I pounce, and usually I am asked within 5 minutes by a male when I'm going to be finished. Excuse me, how about I add another set to my 10-to-1 just to make you wait longer?), I was accosted mid-rep by a very built young man who says the following: 1) he was watching me 2) he thinks I have great potential 3) he wants to train me. Now, potential for what, I have no idea (ooh can you see me as a fitness model?). Anyway, he offered me a free session to check him out. So I did. Here's what we found out:

Starting Measurements:
Weight: 130 lbs
Waist: 26 in
Hips: 34 in
Thighs: 20.5 in (holy shit!)
Body fat: 19%
My goals: 14-15% body fat, lose lower belly fat and trim thighs, all-around top fitness level possible for the race in January

He had me do full body, mostly using harness suspension moves. Never done that before (by the way, EFF suspended mountain climbers! no no no no no no no). I am sore all over. Thank god - I have a hard time making my body sore anymore. That means whatever he's gonna do is going to work. I will be training with him 2 days a week, adding one weekend session on low-mileage-run weekends. So there we go. We are on the road, people!

Now then... segway in to my LONGEST RUN EVERRRRR!
I am sore as hell from that workout yesterday but I had to run this weekend because I was forced to skip the long run last weekend due to shin splints. I HATE YOU SHIN SPLINTS!! (I didn't run for 5 days straight, healing them up and icing them everyday. They are much better.)

START TIME: 5:30-ish; END TIME: 9:37
FINAL RUN TIME: 3 hours, 27 minutes
NUMBER OF STOPS: 2 bathroom, 2 wrong-way trail mishaps =/

ROUTE
I wanted to do another new route because I get bored so easily PLUS it was imperative to run a route with minimal concrete sidewalk - due to the splints. Jennifer at work told me about the Aliso Creek bike trail, so I looked it up and it's 18 miles from beginning to end. Too long, but I was able to map it from my work location up 10 miles and do an out-and-back for a total of 20 miles. From Aliso Creek Rd to Portola/Santa Margarita Pkway and back. The main trail is asphalt, but on the satellite map I saw plenty of dirt on both sides so I figured it was a good bet.

WEATHER
Um, hi rain. You aren't welcome, go away. I don't usually run in the rain - who needs MORE water weight to carry around while running? - but I was absolutely determined to run this weekend so I got me some cold-weather running gear and prepared for the worst. I was lucky though - only a light mist miles 11-12. Other than that, weather was perfect. Perfect temp (chilly but not cold, moist so my throat was never dry, no wind), Only problem was the damp dirt - mud - from last night's rain. I had to run on asphalt more than I would've liked.

STRATEGY
Run 1 minute slower than usual pace to make sure I could finish the whole thing, no stopping, no walking, no pain, no problem!

RUN "WINS"
WIN #1: No Fear! Woooooooooooooo!
WIN #2: No shin splint pain
WIN #3: Felt pretty good the majority of the run - able to smile and say hi to all passers-by, no breathing problems, no stomach issues, etc
WIN #4: Loving my new cold weather running tights and hoodie. They felt great!
WIN #5: I ran slow and steady enough during the run that I felt good enough to be able to run more miles after the 20. Great news, because I need to add 6.2 more...

RUN "F.U.s"
FU #1: I had to pee 2 times in the first 3 miles (one was .25 miles from a porta-potty, I found out after the fact)
FU #2: Pulled left glute muscle from workout
FU #3: Ankle tape cut into my heel around mile 15. There was blood upon removal. Ouch
FU #4: Blood blister. Need I say more?
FU #5: My arms were so tight and sore from yesterday that it was uncomfortable to keep them in constant swinging motion. I had to frequently stretch them. Annoying.

"JUST KIDDING" BLONDE MOMENT
I guess I didn't pay enough attention to where I started the route, because I passed a fork in the trail at 3:16 and figured it was mine and stopped and walked halfway up the hill before I realized it was NOT. Ok, it was really dark at 5:30 when I started running, so I was a bit out of sorts. I had to walk back to the main trail and run the last mile and half or so until my actual turn-off. What a lame-O.

RECOVERY
Post-Run
I was obviously stiff and I was extremely hungry (tummy rumblings began at hour 2:15), so I walked briskly up the hill to the car, grabbed 1 gatorade, 1 water, 1 protein bar, and 1 banana. I walked around the large soccer field park very awkwardly (think "full diaper" awkward) and downed the gatorade and protein bar in record time. I still couldn't bend my knees properly - stretching necessary. Ate the banana and water while stretching. Once I was able to bend my legs without wincing, I drove home. You know what's NOT good for stiff, sore, leg muscles? A 45-minute car ride! Getting out of the car at home was PAINFUL!!!
All day
Immediate carb + protein breakfast refuel? CHECK.
Hot shower on sore muscles? CHECK.
Ice massage for both shins? CHECK.
Constant leg stretching? CHECK.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Nov 14 - 20: One mid-week run; 8 miles weekend
Nov 21 - 27:  One mid-week run; Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving; Another 6 miles Saturday. Oh, and MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!
Nov 28 - Dec 3: Two mid-week runs; 21-22 miles on weekend. *Last long run before race!!!*


Officially exhausted now. I'm heading off to bed, but let's not count on me being able to get myself out of it in the morning. More like "rolling out on the floor and crawling to the bathroom" in the morning. Ah, the life of a marathon virgin...