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Never Again


I ran 20 miles on the treadmill last night, and I have no plans to ever do it again. It was hard, really hard!

Actually, the first 10 weren't bad. They went pretty quickly as I switched back and forth from The Office to The Breakup on TV. One hour in, I was getting hungry, so I ran downstairs and ate a banana. That was my first mistake. By the half marathon mark, I had heartburn like you wouldn't believe. Running was painful. I walked when it was too much to stand. And took a quick break for some Tums. The heartburn NEVER went away. Then I got sleepy at mile 15. The only thing that kept me going was that I had grabbed a movie (17 Again) from Redbox and set up my laptop next to the treadmill. Unfortunately, the movie ended just after I hit that 15 mile mark. I watched late night talk shows the rest of the time, but they weren't enough to distract me from the massive blister that had formed on my little toe (mistake #2 - forgetting to Glide my toes). At mile 18, I met the wall. Yet I pushed on (barely), and eeked out the full 20. As I limped to bed, I decided 13.1 would be pushing it in the future as far as long runs on the treadmill. I think 10 will be my lucky treadmill number.

Misc. from my 20 treadmill miles:
  • The treadmill makes our bedroom really warm after about an hour!

  • I was really sick to my stomach when I finished. Not crampy but like I was going to puke. Is this normal?

  • The backs of my legs (especially the right one) really hurt, directly behind my knees. Any thoughts on this? (They still hurt today, but luckily that is really my only soreness.)

  • While a part of me is still debating doing the marathon at all, I am changing my goal to just finishing it. Under 5 hours would just be a bonus.

  • I was shivering as I crawled into bed. Is that why they give out those silver blanket things after marathons?

  • If 20 miles was this hard, can I really do 26.2?

Comments

  1. 20 miles on a treadmill must have been torture. I did 15 miles on the treadmill when I was training, so I feel your pain!

    If you felt like you were going to puke and were shaking, you may have been dehydrated, zapped of electrolytes or possibly experiencing early signs of heat stroke. Was it very warm inside? This happened to my sister after one of her long training runs. She crawled into bed shivering and was nauseous. We realized she relies too much on water and not enough on electrolyte replacements like Gatorade, gels or Clif Bloks. That banana probably wasn't enough for you. Electrolytes and quick-acting carbs (sugar) are key. But this was probably hard for you with your bout of heartburn.

    Final note ... if you did 20 miles on a treadmill, you ABSOLUTELY can do 26.2! I think running 20 on a treadmill takes a lot of mental strength. You are definitely ready for a marathon! Go for it!

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  2. Man that is rough. I don't think I could have done that. Congrats to you. Yes I think it is very normal to feel like you might puke. And the shivers - sometimes that can happen when you cool down, but sounds like yours were more like chills. How do you feel today? And BTW, if you can do 20 miles on a freaking treadmill you are going to rock the marathon. The TM is SO much harder.

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  3. OK, if you can do 20 on mill, you CAN run 26.2. No problem. Seriously. Running long distance on the mill is TOUGH! The most I've run is 11 and I thought I would die.

    Great job!!!!

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  4. O.M.G.!!! Girl that is nuts! 20 miles on a dreadmill! You've lost your mind! IF you can do that you DEFINITELY have a marathon in you! Keep that chin up and feel better!

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  5. Holy Crap, You are crazy girl! When I said good luck on your 20 miler I had no idea you were talking about doing it on a treadmill or I would have tried to talk you out of it!!!
    I am so impressed that you completed it! I would try to give you insight on all of your questions but what do I know? My long run this weekend is 6.5 miles and that will be the farthest I have ever run sooooooo, I'll leave the advice to the others but GREAT JOB and I hope you are feeling better today and even better tomorrow!!

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  6. YOU are a rockstar. Oh. My. Gosh! What a dedicated gal you are. Don't you dare give up on your marathon. If anyone can do it, you can!

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  7. You are a better runner than me. 20 miles! I couldn't stand 20 minutes on a treadmill...

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  8. You can def do it! Any type of mileage on a treadmill SUCKS!! That's why they call it the dreadmill! ha! But, seriously, you did great!

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  9. You are a better person that me - 20 miles on a treadmill - you should get a medal for that! :)

    YES!!!! You can totally do a marathon - and will do awesome because of the nerves and atmosphere, etc. You are going to rock it!!

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  10. Wow oh wow!! Late night on a treadmill, my friend you CAN and WILL cross the Finish line of the Marathon. You have killer mental strength.

    I was FREEZING after my Marathon, the blankets are great for that. Not sure exactly what it is the body is in shock maybe.

    Bummer about the heartburn..

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  11. I too have run 20 miles on a treadmill...I've never "met" anyone else who has. You will do great in the marathon!

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  12. Good for you, for completing 20 miles on a treadmill! I must admit: it actually sounds like kind of fun to me, watching televsion at the same time.

    http://www.momshomerun.blogspot.com

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  13. good lord you are seriously AMAZING. there is NO way i could ever do 20 on the TM... that takes some serious mental will power that you will definitely use come marathon day. awesome job!

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