Distance - 20 miles!
Pace - 10:20
The big TWO-OH! TWENTY MILES IN THE BOOKS!!!
From now moving forward, this is the only number I'll allow to define me. :) I'm not 37 years old, or 137 lbs .. I'm capable of running 20 miles. ;) BOOM!
Its also mentally official.. barring a 'Real Terrible Bad Day', I feel like I can (knock on wood) .. finish a marathon! Holy shit! ;)
About this run:
Here is a weird thing. I don't feel like I am needing to do anything special for a marathon long run that I wasn't doing for the half marathon distance. As of yet, I don't need to do anything weird, like say: carry a zip lock baggie with bacon and pickles, or a packet of salt, or ibuprofen, etc. This week, I didn't even get all too anal about "Friday hydrate" or carb-loading a few meals before. In fact, I think I even called cream cheese and crackers dinner. Oops. So B- effort on the the pre-run prep front, I'd call it. (A+ being 110% organized, and F being going out drinking the night before, lol).
I did have my coffee, and a 1/2 breakfast pastry (I think it was cherry coffee cake). Plus two honey stingers at start, and a Guu at about 10 miles.
I also made some smart calls. Namely, I began drinking quick sips of water and G2 VERY early, before I was the least bit thirsty. Heck, before the sun was even out.
I was *terrified* of the course that had been planned, so I also kept my pre-training miles EASY. Running out with a band of folks that were also pacing slower was a really good call.
Next came the scary miles. Leading up to this, I was scurred. Scurred silly to the point that I maybe was a twinge mad. Like really pissed mad, even. ;) I rarely get mad about running. But like with Women's 5K course, it just feels like purposefully evil planning some days. lol. What are they trying to do, kill of every new woman runner in Atlanta???? (1st W5K) and this Saturday: I'm trying to get used to the DISTANCE, people! Chicago is FLAT people. So yea, miffed for sure. Thoughts of boycotting and running this at Riverside, thoughts of wearing a run lead tank and visor, and commandeering a group of unsuspecting participants off to the belt line, needing to UBER, thoughts of 14 minute miles on my Garmin. Basically panic.
Which turned into .. being so scared that the actual hills couldn't compare to what I had built up in my head! (No, I'm not giving Enrique credit for that. Happy coincidence; I'm still miffed about hill-a-palooza, dude! haha.) But for the run, it didn't end in death and destruction. YAY!
I'd already decided that pace was NOT important. Steady effort was important. I walked not ONE hill, and for that, I am SO PROUD! :)
Also legit proud that my fastest miles came at 17, 19, and 20! That bodes SERIOUSLY well on the mental front when I think about whether or not I can run another 10k. Granted, I don't think I would have wanted to run it all this Saturday. But with another month of training left, I think I am really brain-ready!!
Run ATL
Doing the math, Avg Pace for both segments combined is 10:20. I'm *positive* that if my watch had not decided to "save" at the 6 mile mark, and I could have seen the true average pace, I would have TOTALLY shaved the 20 seconds somewhere for 10:18, so I am TOTALLY calling this 20 miles AT 10% goal race pace!
What hurt: during, just a smidge of a tight left calf here and there, and my quads continue to burn up faster than anything else. Otherwise, not a thing! Woo.
In fact, I felt GOOD. Holy crap, I felt good. Running into the parking lot, I was whoopin and hollarin. I didn't have that post hard effort "flu" ish feel. Didn't need to lay down, roll around, cry for beer., etc. I wasn't the most enthusiastic walker on the planet (the porta potty looked as if it were in IOWA), but I did keep going! I did a bit more walking at the sale, and then met up with the CHI runners for brunch.
This was so fun! I was patting myself on the back for coming up with the idea. LOL. Woo, I thought of something, and people came! Winning. :) It was nice to start team building with the travel crew for CHI!! In just one meet up, I already learned tons!. :)
After: lower back continues to be the dull quiet not quite pain annoyance de jour. That and a bit of planter pain on standing .. not immediately, but after ~6ish hours and early the next morning.
Driving home, I still felt like bouncing off the wall though. Even at home, I couldn't really nap. I tried, but the best I could do was watch a movie. I seriously felt like PARTYING! Swimming, doing an AB video, biking .. or SOMETHING.
None for me, thank you very much! Unless its to bounce off of. Woah.
Well, glad I didn't though. Eventually the day caught up with me, and this Sunday happened:
Check out the sleep!! hahaha. I think I was reading a book for some, but yea. LOL. And this is Sunday, about 4 PM! I guess its time to go for a walk if I want 10,000 steps today!! (I did head off to Fowler after dinner, and walked about 2.5 miles .. playing Pokemon GO. ;) )
Goal thoughts: PROS: these are still runs in much hotter weather, with more challenging topography, and less adrenaline than on race day. CONS: These are also runs with GPS watch pauses for hydration, red lights, and reboot stretching at Armour before training segment starts, with about 50 of my closest friends running along with me non-stop. (con because I don't get to pack any of them in my travel bag). Plus, there's the con of 6 more miles.
A GOOD amount of this run felt long, slow, and easy. GOOD. So so far, mission of seeing 10:18 - 10:52 on race day, while still having it feel like 50/50 goal, so I can chase after it without feeling like I'd need to die and return to the living for it, is looking plausible.
Upcoming: Should I stay or should I go? I did 20 miles this Saturday. There are 20 miles on the schedule this coming Saturday. If 100% of my thoughts were on CHI, I'd go for it and try to belt this distance out again, and then start following the schedule of LSD/PRO right with the CHI training calendar. Two reasons why I might not want to do that, though: the training calendar wants it to alternate for a reason, I'm sure. Two 20s in a row sounds like a bad idea.
But more selfish than that .. Sizzler! Can't I just run one more itty bitty race with rested legs?? huh, huh, pretty please. LOL. Peachtree was very solid performance, and I am honestly so happy about my time there .. but this is the sweetest 10K course of the year .. what could I do to my PR without hills, and with tapered legs??
Honestly, I think the pulling back and racing is helping me so much. I stay fast, I take mid-cycle taper breaks, I stay healthy. If feels like a really loving way to do mean things to myself, lol. (knock on wood).
On the other hand, it doesn't mean all that much. Sizzler isn't a Grand Prix. I can find a 10K after CHI easy if I want. The only thing that might hurt is losing the 10K title back to Kyle, haha. But its about time I give up my momentary hogging of all the PRs between 1 mile and 10 mile! LOL. So leaning toward doing the 20, and then just running it like a typical Monday (~58-59). But we'll see.
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