Posts Tagged ‘long runs’

“Tough.”

“OK.”

“Miserable.”

“Not so bad.”

I’ve had a variety of descriptions of yesterday’s long run of 16.2 miles. In hindsight, nearly 36 hours later, I’m not sure how I feel about it. I at least covered Bedford, Va., fairly well:

And it was hilly as usual:

I got it done with no major side effects today. That’s a good enough victory to move on to another week of running.

I do know that I’m not running a race and running long the next day again, especially in the summer when the weather can vary so much day to day. Perfect for Saturday’s 5k; 91% humidity at the start of Sunday’s run … yeah, not fun.

This week is shaping up to be my third consecutive week of mileage increases before a recovery week next week. At one point I had hoped for my first 40-mile week ever this week, but I’m not focusing on that. I want continued good runs and Hurricane Irene to stay away long enough to avoid torrential rain on my long run. We’ll see how I feel come Sunday on a recovery run what the final mileage will be.

Now that I’ve soaked all this up, it’s time to mark it off and move along …

Somewhere along the way this week I let my mind take over. It’s a big fear I think most runners have — losing mental toughness. On the way to the Lynchburg Half Marathon this morning, I realized (again) that I’ve been letting my mind take over and I didn’t like it. I used that half hour or so to refocus on today’s race.

I hit the start line — after warming up in a steady run — with these thoughts:

• Don’t let the hill win.
• Finish stronger than I start it, carrying the theme of my main goal for 2011.
• Don’t look at my watch — just run by feel.
• Don’t worry about my time goal.
• Be able to honestly answer this question: can I double my effort?

Funny thing about my time goal is I couldn’t remember what I wrote the other day. I had shifted my focus since that post that I really didn’t care what my overall time was. If I did these things, I would have a solid training race, not a race race. And if I did these things I should be happy with my day no matter what.

After a steady rain for my warm-up, I almost put my Garmin away. The only reason I kept it on was to see the massive hill in my data, and I wanted to see how I handled it. While I was happy with last year’s race, it was THE hill that stuck out in my mind.

So with a different mindset than just 12 hours earlier, I had my most solid long run ever that just happens to fall smack in the middle of all my half marathon times.

It may sound crazy, but I really didn’t look at my watch until the 8th mile. I glanced at it a couple of times to do a mileage check, but in the first half of the race I didn’t check my mile times or look at my pace. It was quite refreshing.

I finished today in 1:51:31, more than 4 minutes faster than a year ago. Had it not been so humid after some overnight rain and the shower before the race, I probably could have knocked a couple of minutes off this. I was very pleased to set a course record on the “new” course for this race, as well as setting out everything I really wanted to accomplish.

• I beat the hill. I did miles 4 and 5 in 9:07 and 9:15; those two miles had elevation gains of 153 and 160 feet. Not that there’s anything wrong with walking hills, I remember last year feeling defeated when I had to. Today that thought never crossed my mind.

Lynchburg Half Marathon elevation

• The second 6 full miles were more than 3:30 faster than the first 6 miles. I’m very happy with that negative split.
• I actually didn’t make up that much time when I came down the hill. The mile with the most elevation loss — between 9 and 10 — was 8:03, and wasn’t my fastest mile. The next one was at 8:02. I lost something between mile 11 and 12 (8:26), but finished strong in the final full mile at 8:04. The last tenth or so (I say “or so” because my Garmin measure a tenth of a mile long) was in a 7:30 pace.
• So … can I double this effort? I know I have a lot of work left to do, but at the half way point of my training I am very confident that I can double this effort for the Baltimore Marathon.

I think a week ago when I knew I was cutting my miles back this week, I put myself in a frame of mind of just getting through the week. Then when I started feeling bad it seemed like everything got worse.

That led to almost turning my alarm off this morning and sleeping in. I briefly thought I could just sleep for another hour or so and then get in my 10 miles tonight. One bad thought leading to another.

When I finally got out of bed and started my run with my dog, I felt miserable. The humidity was even worse than the past few weeks after rain last night. I was having a hard time breathing even though I was intentionally going slower than usual.

After dropping my dog off at home after a few miles and then running a few more, I snapped out of it. After my post the other day about bouncing back after a bad run, I realized I wasn’t practicing my own advice.

While I was still struggling a bit with the humidity, the second half of today’s 10 miles was definitely better — both physically and mentally. It wasn’t that big of a negative split, but the second 5 miles were about 30 seconds faster than the first 5. I also played this well with the first mile being the slowest (9:45) and the final mile being the fastest (9:11).

I started thinking at the end of my run how I could do with humidity about half of what it was today, and I really think I can drop these times significantly both on a normal long run and in a race condition. With my 3:45 goal time for Baltimore, I like where I am pace wise on these long runs, especially with this weather. Today’s long run was a 9:26 pace, only 50 seconds off my marathon goal pace.

Today's elevation. Hilly as always.

It’s rare that I say I’m glad a week is over, but I’m really glad to move on to next week. I’m looking forward to higher mileage, slightly cooler conditions and the Lynchburg Half Marathon on Saturday. As I wrote the other day, it’s time to get the hell over it and move on. This time I mean it.

After having some good and unique runs this week, I think I was more and more critical of last week’s long run that really wasn’t all that bad. That said, I learned a lot of lessons last week that I had to apply to the next long run to get over it and move on with my Baltimore Marathon training.

When the alarm went off at 5 a.m. today I was hating life. I didn’t sleep much and it had already been a long week — I was letting self-doubt enter my mind before I even got out of the door. As soon as I starting running with Duke, though, I was fine and very happy that I was out before the sun. The weather was a bit cooler than last week, but still very humid.

After less than a half mile, we almost got sprayed by a skunk — what I thought was a cat hanging out on the side of the road was a skunk that puffed up and hissed as we neared it. I shouted “GO DUKE” and we took off through someone’s yard. That woke me up, and I immediately started thinking about my goals for this run. Like my overarching goal is for 2011 is, today’s frame of mind was to finish it stronger than I started it.

I did exactly that. Here are the highlights of today’s 14.5-mile run, with lessons learned and many other miscellaneous things:

• Don’t eat buffalo chicken wraps the day before a long run. I had a much-needed pit stop when I dropped Duke off about 5 miles into the run, but that wasn’t a bad thing. I realized I had forgotten to apply my Mission Skincare Anti-Chafe Balm before starting, something I failed to do last week.
• After the brief stop, I took a frozen water bottle with me. It lasted several miles, keeping me cool and relaxed. After getting so hot last week, I needed this relief, especially in the middle miles.
• While my route doesn’t look planned, I made sure I would be in some shadier spots when the sun came up.
• Speaking of the sun, I made sure I had my sunglasses with me today. As soon as the sun peered over the trees, I put on my sunglasses. As weird as this sounds, this may have been the best decision of all today. There’s a lot to be said for not squinting in the final hour of the run. I was able to keep my face relaxed and focus on other things. Who knew squinting took so much effort?
• I was able to put my phone in a good spot so I didn’t have to hold it. My playlist was a little more singer-friendly too.
• I ran through some parking lots to break up a few continuous hills.
• I was able to refill my water about 9 miles in and get me through about mile 12 — that left me completely hands free for the final push.
• After starting slow — a 9:44 first mile — I finished strong with a next to last mile in 8:40. The second 7 miles were a little more than a minute and a half faster than the first 7 miles. My overall pace was 9:25, which I am very happy with.
• This run sticks out in my mind like a 16-mile run last September, when the conditions were actually much cooler and less humid. I’m excited beyond words about that. This weather is tough no matter how much I talk about running in it.
• I did my first-ever ice bath following the run. Long story short, I learned some lessons and didn’t last long. Two hours later, though, my legs feel great.
• Today’s run puts me at 30+ miles for the week, the first 30-mile week in 41 weeks.

From a quick search on my blog and from my memory of what I’ve written, I’m pretty sure that I have never talked about hitting a wall on a run. I think it comes from keeping my long runs slower and, fortunately, not having many wall-hitting moments in a race.

Today, though, I had one of the worst moments of hitting on a wall on a run that I can remember. I had 14 miles planned, but after the sun came up, I felt like I had the life sucked out of me. At around 11 miles I was feeling weak; after stopping and drinking some water, I tried to keep going.

At mile 12, I could not go any more. It wasn’t like I went from a run to a walk — I literally had to stop and catch my breath for a minute before I could go. I walked about a half mile and then tried to run a little more, but less than a quarter mile later the run was over. Getting to 14 miles safely, and to 30 miles for the week, just wasn’t meant to be.

It was so humid today — at 5:30 a.m. the humidity was 84 percent. It was the same 2 hours later. The temperatures weren’t too bad — in the low 70s — but the sun got a little rough when it came up. My clothes were as wet today as when I ran in the rain Tuesday. I could feel sweat dripping on my legs from my shorts at the end of the run. I’m pretty sure that’s never happened before.

Despite feeling defeated for a little while, I am OK with all this. I hit some big hills throughout today’s run (700-plus feet of elevation gain) that I guess I wasn’t fully ready for on a longer run. The effort on these hills will do more for me than a longer flat run will anyway, so I have to keep that in mind.

And why would I beat myself for running 12-plus miles in miserable conditions? On top of that, I had some great runs this week in the hottest conditions I’ve ever experienced, plus a run in the rain. I am not about to complain as this week will make a big difference in how I feel in cooler conditions later in training. (See yesterday’s post about training in these conditions …)

One lesson I have learned this week is that I either need to get used to running with my Camelbak again or buy a small handheld. After running in the heat this week and the humidity today, I need to do something. I did a good job today of staging water stops and fuel — five water stops, two gels and a Clif bar — but a more constant supply of water may have made a difference with getting an extra couple of miles.

Not to be lost in today’s run is the fact that I passed 90 miles for the month and 500 miles for the year. As I adjust my training schedule for next week, I’ll get to 120 miles in July if things go as planned. My focus, though, will be to make sure these continue to be solid, focused and purposeful miles … and no more wall-hitting.

Image: Lavoview / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’m worn out talking and hearing about the weather this week. Yes, it’s hot; in fact, it’s quite brutal with some all-time highs being set. If you’re running in the heat, be safe; hydrate; take walking breaks if you have to; and by all means if you want to, hit the treadmill.

That being said, my stance on the weather remains, “If you don’t train in it …,” but be smart about it. Remember, though, that you have to prepare for any condition on race day. Just like running in the cold and snow in the winter time, or running in pouring rain, I think heat runs are important when done safely.

It can be quite brutal for fall races too, so don’t just give in to the heat so quickly. Even if it’s still 80 degrees at 5 a.m., run then out of the direct sunlight. A few months from now you’ll be glad you did. Every run doesn’t have to be inside, but if the weather freaks you out now and you have abnormally warm weather for a fall race, your body will have no idea how to react.

* * *

I’m pretty excited about getting to my 30th mile this week and the 500th mile of the year as training for the Baltimore Marathon kicks into high gear, but I have to wait. With my wife headed out of town today and the weather hotter than Dante’s 9th Circle of Hell (as I have already discussed), running my long run early in the morning has to wait until Sunday. And yes, it will likely be a 5 a.m. wake-up call to get it done.

It’s teaching me some patience with running that I didn’t know I was actually losing. I’m very flexible with my training, but waiting until the last day of my running week for the long run makes me antsy and causes blog posts like this.

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I took off all week — with the holiday mixed in it’s the first time I’ve been off work for more than a week since I got married seven years ago. (Minus that part of being unemployed a few years ago.) So instead of doing anything normal with running this week, I ran on a Tuesday in Ohio for one more flat run and shifted my long run from the weekend to today.

The sun was trying to burn through the clouds this morning.

That’s right, a Friday. I did mid-week long runs in winter 2010 and loved it, but for marathon training it’s tough to do long runs on a week day.

I got in 12 miles today and head into the weekend having 25.4 miles for the week. I actually have more than 35 miles in a 7-day span by moving my long run.

Today’s run, though, was not really about the miles or how fast or slow I was. It was dreadfully humid today — 96 percent humidity and 70 degrees at the start, 92 percent humidity and 72 degrees at the finish.

After running my dog for a few miles, I grabbed a frozen water bottle to help keep me cool. It was some much-needed relief that I think saved me from quitting on this run. I drank 32 ounces of water on the run, which doesn’t include a little bit before I headed out and some on a pit stop when I dropped Duke off.

To beat the weather today is yet another victory in my early part of training for the Baltimore Marathon. With another short run later this weekend, I will have three solid weeks of training under by belt with some awesome runs. Next week will be a recovery week with fewer miles, but a race mixed in with the Percival’s Island 5 Miler. I definitely couldn’t have asked for a better start to my training.

Here’s a look at today’s very up and down run around Bedford:

A cool, cloudy morning in Ohio on a flat, lonely trail.

The streak is finally over. Today’s 10.2-mile run brought an end to my 8-plus month streak of not having a double digit run. And after setting a goal the other day of beating a 9-minute pace for this run, I went out an destroyed it.

With cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-60s, I went out with an 8:48 mile and never looked back. In fact, I got stronger in the second half. My mile splits after mile 1 were: 8:52, 8:44, 8:42, 8:49, 8:45, 8:32, 8:35, 8:26 and 8:10.

With having the advantage of no hills today in Ohio, I wanted to push myself a bit at the end to see what I had in me. I was actually shooting for a sub 8-minute mile in the final mile, but couldn’t quite hold it together in the final quarter mile.

I felt great out there today; it’s nice to be able to get this kind of flat run in this early in Baltimore Marathon training to set the tone for future long runs.

I’m realizing more and more how I need to set goals for not only my races, but my runs as well. This is the first time in a while that I’ve set a specific goal for a long run — it kept me intensely focused today.

I might not set a goal for every long run, but I certainly will continue to have a different frame of mind. If it worked so well this time, it can only get better.

One of the first roads I ran yesterday was Baltimore Avenue in Bedford. It was completely unintentional, I promise. All I was trying to do was start off the run with Duke on a slightly different route. It was the first time I’ve been on that road in several months. It just turned out to be very fitting as the first “official” long run for the Baltimore Marathon.

As I already mentioned, my first long run of this training session went well. In fact, the entire week was great. It included a fairly speedy 5k on a lunch run on Friday in 25:06, a time faster than several 5k races I’ve done. All of my runs just seemed to fall into place despite some intense heat the first half of the week. I also squeezed in a short watchless run with Duke on Thursday evening.

It was one of the best first weeks of training that I remember having. Perhaps it’s from being more focused this time around and talking about it more than usual. I have had “official” kickoffs before, but this time just seems so different.

Here’s a look at yesterday’s long run around Bedford, as well as the elevation chart:

That's me on the left in "Moon Over Buffalo" in 2006.

I’m pretty sure I’ve never mentioned on here that my minor in college was theater. I was in and directed a few one-act plays, had a small role in “Diary of Anne Frank” as Mr. Kraler and make a small “return” to theater five years ago in “Moon Over Buffalo” as Howard.

So what does this have to do with running? That answer is easy — running is exactly like putting on a play. You go to rehearsal after rehearsal (run after run) to get to opening night (race day). Today was my first “official” long run for the Baltimore Marathon and it kind of felt like going off book for the first time in rehearsals. The ones where you have to stop and say “line” because you can’t quite remember what you’re supposed to do.

Pushing myself to 8 miles wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but whenever I felt like I was slowing way down or getting sluggish, I had to think about what’s worked in the past 6 months. I called “line” and got back on track.

It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was a much better long run than I remember from last year. Great weather with lower humidity helped too. Overall, my run was under a 9-minute pace, easily 10-15 seconds faster per mile than these types of runs a year ago. I’m really like my new “slow” and “easy” feeling pace.

I have a lot more rehearsals to keep getting better. Next week will be a flat 10 miles in Ohio for my long run. Come opening night on Oct. 15, it should be second nature to go out and have a great marathon.