To run Cowtown, or not run Cowtown

When I tell people I'm training for the Cowtown Marathon on Feb. 28, I get the same response from most: Oh, man, that's hilly. You won't enjoy yourself. Why don't you rest up and train to run Oklahoma City in April.

And sometimes, I think about doing just that. But then I do my weekly long run _ today was 16 miles _ and I think, maybe I can handle the Cowtown hills.

I was supposed to do the last 13 miles of the Cowtown route today with a group at 6 a.m. But I couldn't get out of the bad (or out of the bathroom) in time, so I ran four miles by myself, then did 12 miles with another group that was meeting at 7 a.m. (I like running with others - its the only way I can get in my weekly social hour).

Anyway, it was 35 degrees and wind gusts were over 20 miles an hour (Think my White Rock Lake Marathon - only 35 degrees cooler). And the first few miles I felt real crappy. My legs were just dead. By Mile 10 I was starting to tighten up and thought, 'Yeah, maybe Cowtown isn't such a good idea.'

But the last five miles, I extended my stride and decided to pick things up and felt great. I finished each of the last five miles in under 8 minutes, including three of the five in under 7:40. I guess I can call it a nice little tempo run at the end of my long run. At the end of the run, I was back to thinking, 'Yeah, Cowtown is on!'

I finished the entire run, 16.16 miles in 2:13:45, a pace of 8:16 min/mile. The best thing is I didn't take any GUs or Jells and I only drank gatorade when I was done. I had a little Endurox shake an hour before my run, but that was it. I'm teaching my body to burn more fat when I run so I don't hit the dreaded 20 mile wall. Who knows if its working.

This run put me at 45 miles for the week and I must admit, my legs are dead. I'm going to drive to Austin to spend a few days with my son and will not take my garmin or my running shoes with me. That's two days of forced rest. I need it.