17 miles, the wall, and a fanny pack

I attempted my longest run so far yesterday: 17 miles. I failed. I ended up having to walk the last 3 1/2 miles or so. It took me just short of 3.5 hours, and I averaged 12-minute miles. I was mad, disappointed, and felt utterly defeated.

After having some time to reflect, I think there were 3 main things that contributed to the problem yesterday:

1. I stayed up too late the night before and drank too much beer & vodka.
2. I started running way too late in the morning. I started at 9 a.m. and should have been getting done at that time because it got hot fast (it was in the 90's in the afternoon).
3. I didn't sleep well the night before. Not only was I up too late, but my dad called at 3:48 am - wanting me to give him a ride. I didn't actually answer the phone - he left a voicemail - and I hoped he was just confused and there wasn't really something wrong. I was correct, but I didn't know that until the next day after I'd lay there awake most of the night.

Of course, it could also be that my body simply won't allow me to run that far. That's what I was convinced of Saturday. I'm hoping that's not the case and that if I can get to bed early this next Friday night, and get up and run before it gets hot Saturday, maybe 18 miles will be do-able. Hopefully.

So, I think there are both negatives and positives to what happened Saturday. First, the negatives:

• My confidence took a pretty big hit. I'd hit a wall this past Wednesday during an 8-mile run. I thought I was done running until I got to the 5th mile; then I kind of came out of it. Saturday was even worse. I felt like this was it and I had no hope whatsoever. My resolve had dissolved.
• Other than hurting my pride, the biggest pain I had Saturday was in my neck, shoulders, and back. It was weird. I don't think I've ever had that happen. I'm wondering if I got a little dehydrated (even though I thought I ate and drank enough during the run). I'm also wondering if some of the back pain is lingering from the rib injury. It feels pretty much better on a day-to-day basis, but there is still some soreness.
• I sweat like a pig. On the one hand, that's probably good. But on the other hand, I am soaked pretty much from head to toe - start to finish. Not sure what I can do about that though.

 There were some positives though:

•  My feet and legs continue to be okay. I've been battling with a blister on the ball of my right foot. It was actually better than previous runs. I also continued to feel good the next day. This is a strange feeling for me because I've always had very sore legs the day after anything approaching a half marathon. I suppose if you do enough of them your legs start to get used to it.
• I continue to love my new Timex watch. It gives me everything I need in time, distance, and pace, and it's really comfortable.
• For the first time in my life, I wore a FANNY PACK when I ran Saturday. My short shorts don't have a pocket big enough to hold more than one energy gel, so I thought I'd give this fanny pack a shot. I got it free somewhere, so it's not fancy, but it worked out ok. I put my phone in it too, but I don't know if I'll continue that because it's not waterproof and I sweat right through it.

I guess we will just have to wait and see now. This week I run 5-8-5 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, then 18 Saturday. I suppose it's either do or die. Not sure what I will do if I die (figuratively, of course), but I suppose there's only one way to find out.

We will see.