47 Miles for my 47th Birthday

Why do I do this, people ask me?  I really have no logical explanation.  My brain just gets a crazy idea and I run with it, literally!  Last year I got the crazy idea to go 46 miles for turning 46 years old and that adventure was so much fun that I figured I needed to do it again this year.  If you want to read about my last year's journey go here.

This year's experience was so much more different than last year.  I set my alarm for 6:30 am and got myself ready by about 7:15 am. I decided this year I wanted to stay closer to home and so I put on the Garmin and headed outside and just ran up and down the town. I love my orange shoes.  I decided to put a few miles in them to start today's 47 miles.  I listened to a book on my ipod and got in 10 miles before I decided to head home and refuel.

Core Power has a pretty delicious little drink here.  I actually won a case of these from my runner friend Amy over at Run Mom Run, a few months ago and I am now just finishing up my very last one. (insert sad face here)  Core Power should just hire me to taste test all their stuff for them and I would be more than happy to share their greatness here.  I then headed out and ran another 5 miles for a total of 15 so far. Since I was closer to home it was nice to be able to have a stopping place for drinks, bathroom, and food without having to worry where that would happen. 

I then decided to head inside and change my shoes.  I had quite a number of shows I wanted to watch on Netflix and so I headed to the treadmill for the remainder of my 37 miles.  I know some of you outside, hard-core runners will think this is just plain stupid but I needed something to keep my mind busy so as not to think about all the miles I still had left to do.

I divided my remaining mileage up into a 10 mile segment, another 10 mile segment and then a 12 mile segment.  After finishing 15 outside and the first 10 on the treadmill for a total of 25 miles I headed to the kitchen for some oatmeal, pears, cinnamon and honey.  Pretty delish!  I also needed to do a wardrobe change from being so sweaty. 

The next 10 mile segment completed meant 35 miles done and some refueling with almonds and a bagel with cream cheese.  And another wardrobe change. 

At this point I was just so very tired but I had committed myself to this adventure and I wasn't quitting now.  I had 12 miles left to do and I just had to get back on that treadmill and watch some more fascinating shows.  I included a list of the shows I watched and all my stats at the end of this post.  Those final 12 miles were mentally challenging and I just picked off each mile one at a time.

Mark took this final photo of me after 47 miles completed.  Yes, I was very sore, and yes, I immediately got into an ice bath and then a nice, long, hot shower.  After getting my hair dried and jammies on I enjoyed a warm bowl of beans and ham with crackers, a few ibuprofen and actually had a good night's rest. 

15 miles- 3 hours (outside) ran all 15 miles
10 miles- 2 hours 4 minutes (treadmill) ran 8 1/2 walked 1 1/2
10 miles- 2 hours 32 minutes (treadmill) ran 6 walked 4
12 miles- 2 hours 42 minutes (treadmill) ran 9 walked 3
47 total miles- 10 hours 18 minutes  ran 38 1/2 miles walked 8 1/2

Shows watched on Netflix:
Hungry for Change
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead
The Appalachian Trail
The Adventures of Merlin

As I get one year older each year I don't know if I can keep this up.  I'm thinking a nice long 48 mile bike ride might be a good adventure for turning 48.

After having a few days to process this experience I have noticed that I am far, far less sore than I was last year.  I think treadmill mileage is just nicer to my aging body.  I also didn't get sunburned like last year which was just so painful.  This year's experience was probably not as fun as last year but it happened and I'm content with it.