Nice birthday training run

Sometimes the running Gods smile on you.

 

Sometimes its 66 degrees and you've eaten right all week and you've hydrated and the light bulb about how you eat and drink on the run goes off.

 

Sometimes was Saturday.

 

And on my 42nd birthday, no less.

 

I don't wanna make to much of a training run, even though this was a 22-mile training run I completed in under 3 hours. I'd prefer to keep the giddiness inside until they put a medal around my neck and I've qualified for Boston.

 

But I've had probably the worst summer ever for long runs. My energy level at the end of my two previous 20-milers was lower than an old jalopy on fumes. And at the beginning of Saturday's 22-miler, that self doubt was all over me. My legs felt just dead for the first three or four miles and keeping an 8:30 pace was really difficult to do without trying harder than I wanted to try.

 

My plan was to stop being hardheaded and take my energy GU every five miles, no matter how good or bad my stomach may have been feeling. I figure I've run out of gas during my previous long runs because I don't fuel up, so to speak. So around Mil 5, I took a GU. By then, my legs were starting to feel better, and so I didnt have some great energy boost or anything, but I do remember remarking to myself at around six that, "Hey, we've already hit 6 mile and it doesnt feel like weve been out here that long."

 

I kept taking the GU every five miles, and a Succeed salt-table every hour. The self doubt was still kinda hovering around as we hit the middle miles and I wondered when the bottom would fall out, but it never did. We got to Mile 14 or so and hit Duval St. (mostly downhill) and I felt stronger and stronger. I did each of the last 9 miles in 7:50 pace or better and averaged 7:30 or better the last four miles.

 

I was supposed to take a final Gu at Mile 20 and took Succeed salt instead and took off. I remember looking down at my Garmin at one point and the mile pace said, "6:50" Whoa..lets back up and keep some of this for Chicago," I thought.

 

I flew to the finish in 2 hours and 54 minutes, a nice and tidy pace of about 7:55 min/mile.

 

If I had to run the distance that day, I could have.

 

Now, I just have to build on this, what I ate, what I drank, and keep myself focused for Chicago.