Day 213.

No rain this morning on my long run.  Not even any clouds, with the exception of a few pink wisps as the sun came up over the mountains.  I woke up bright and early, 4:50am, and couldn't fall back asleep even though I had set the alarm for 5:45.  So I went ahead and got up, started getting all my running gear ready, ate 1/2 a banana, then did 15 minutes of Pilates.  Once I had everything ready, I set out on my 16 mile long run.  I had to take a little flashlight with me, but I only needed to use it a few times to see where I was stepping, then it got light enough out that I could see fine.  The first half of today's run was great.  I felt good, the wind was blowing slightly to my back, a nice fall breeze that helped keep me cool and comfortable.  I did have to stop at a railroad crossing and wait for a train to pass for a minute or two around 5.5 miles, but I just went ahead and fueled up while I waited, eating my GU and drinking some water.  I've also found that sucking on Jolly Rancher candies helps.  The sugar gives me a little boost, so I keep 2 or 3 of them in my pouch for my long runs.  Anyway, I was feeling good, enjoying the beautiful scenery and weather, up until I reached 8 miles and turned around to come back.  Now the wind was blowing directly into me, at what felt like about 100 mph!  I almost lost my hat several times, and as I ran, I felt like I was running in place.  Finally I decided to walk for a little bit, since I knew I was expending way too much energy trying to push against the wind.  It was very frustrating, because even at miles 10-11, I was physically feeling good enough to keep running, but the wind was making it almost impossible.  Finally, after walking on and off for about a mile, I picked up my pace again, and eventually, as I got closer to home, the wind started to die down and I could tolerate running the rest of the way.  A couple of times between miles 14-16, I walked for just a few seconds and then started running again.  My legs were SO FREAKING TIRED!  It's not even that I have pain, per se, in my legs.  My muscles just feel like Jell-O after about 13 miles.  Oh, well.  I finished the run, and when I got home I gulped down a glass of chocolate milk, then filled the bathtub with cold water and sat in it for about 15 minutes.  Yes, my legs were that fluid that I thought it would be worth adding additional amounts of suffering by sitting in an ice cold bath!  I hope it helps with my recovery, we'll see.