Run: Long Previous Next

Notes

T.O.F. (Time On Feet) run. So, take 3:10 and divide it by 22mi and you get 8:38 pace. Over a minute slower than my marathon goal pace. I thought this would be trivially easy. It. Was. Not.

Started to suffer a bit around mile 11. Running alone. Lost (took a wrong turn). The hills were bothering me and my perceived effort was higher than I thought it should be. It didn't help that because I got lost I could get any water until mile 14 when I made it back to the car and stopped to drink for 2mins. Then I did a short loop to bring me back around 17mi to the car; stop; drink; move-on. But around mile 18 it really started getting hard. 9:00pace. I stopped to walk for 20secs. I kept thinking that if this were a race, i could pick it up, but I'm really not so sure. Then, at mile 20, I found a couple jogging in the opposite direction around what looked to be my pace. I joined in and the conversation and company brought up my spirits. Those remaining miles were easy. The last was a joy.

I'm not taking gels during my long runs, on the theory that coaching my body to burn fat is more important than preventing a bonk during training. I did drink some gatorade (about 2cups) during the water stops, and the water I was drinking had Hammer electrolyte powder in it (but no carbs).

In all, this was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. Certainly, having some company on the run would have made things a lot easier.