Okay, so maybe there’s nothing quite “ultra” about running 13.6 miles, but pretending I was doing something way above and beyond what I had ever done before helped me get through the run on Saturday…even if it was only 0.5 miles farther than my previous distance In case you’re too lazy (or have something better to do) to read the rest of the post, I’ll cut to the end for you…I made it!

Anyways, on Friday I went to bed with the plan to run from my house in Mystic to my parent’s house in North Stonington, but after a solid six mile trail run on Thursday, I was a little worried that my foot wouldn’t be up to the task. When I woke up on Saturday, I ate my breakfast (1 Clif Bar, 1 Odwalla bar) and gave the foot a test. It didn’t feel too bad, so I downed a 5 hour energy shot. There was no turning back!

I prepared for the run, which would be my longest run by far without aid stations, with my Nathan Speed 2 waistpak full of Gatorade and two Honey Stinger energy gel packs. It turns out that they were the perfect combination to get me to the “finish line.”

For the run itself, I mapped out the most direct route that avoided major roadways, such as Route 184 and Route 2. I did run a long stretch of Route 201, which is a pretty major, flat road, but it had a huge shoulder and I didn’t have to worry about becoming roadkill (of which I saw plenty of on the run!) Most of the way it was fairly uneventful, with getting scared by a turkey vulture and having to check Google maps on my iPhone to make sure I wasn’t taking a wrong road the only real things of note worth mentioning. The sun was shining, but the humidity wasn’t too high, so I had no heat issues.

At the end of the run, my legs were starting to feel a bit sore, but it was really my feet (as usual) that were taking the brunt of the beating. I’ve taught myself to run pretty carefully in terms of preventing serious injury to my PT tendon, but I also have another foot condition called Haglund’s Deformity, where my heal has built up bone that makes it wear unnaturally on the back of a shoe. Unfortunately, I wear Inov-8 F-Lite 230′s for trail running, so I got a small blister after the run on Thursday. I forgot to put a bandaid on the blister on Saturday, so by the end of the 13.6 miles, it had gotten a bit bigger! Luckily there was no blood and it should absorb back in over the next day or so.

Another foot issue I’ve dealt with is due to my PT tendon issue, where I have a built up callus on the inside of my right foot big toe due to years of “normal” shoes that were supposed to be giving me proper running/walking form, but were causing a lot of pressure on my big toe. My fiancee has already noted the beginning signs of arthritis in the joint of the toe, but since switching to minimalist shoes, it has felt a lot better and the callus hasn’t gotten any bigger! Anyways, after a long run in the Vibram Five Fingers, the rubbing at the base of this callus (right where the size number is on the rubber in case you were wondering) causes irritation. I’m not sure what the long-term solution is to this issue, besides running barefoot, but I’ll figure something out when it comes to time for the marathon! Maybe a simple piece of tape around the base of the toe will do the trick.

Since running from my house to my parent’s was a major milestone I set last year, I’m pretty proud of the accomplishment. My fiancee was there at the finish line, acting as my crew, having brought some Dunkin’ Donuts, a banana and a couple liters of Gatorade for me to pound down after burning over 1,800 calories (at least that’s what DailyMile says) so I have to thank her a bunch. She also provided the ride back home, since I sure as heck wasn’t going to run back!

Here’s the map if anyone is interested…