So today I had a long training run to do. 25 miles. Training for a goal that is still months away can sometimes be a hard thing to continue to focus on. I do this by writing out elaborate and very specific training plans where each day is laid out for me as to how many miles to do that day, whether to cross-train, weight train or rest. That way I can just look at it and know what I am doing for that day. I like to joke that my training plan is the "Boss of Me" but really it is. I feel that by following a plan I can really be more fully prepared for the race ahead.
The morning started out with every kind of delay you can think of to just get out the door. First I DID get up at 6, had the idea to get out the door by 7 since I knew how long this run would take. On long run days the first thing i do before anything is get my running clothes on I had set out the night before so I am already mentally in "run mode" before I do anything. The longer I stay in my comfy pajama pants the harder it is to transition to running clothes. This morning, however, I had decided instead of 29 degrees it was perhaps -10. I put on three layers of clothes on my upper body, two pairs of running pants, two pairs of socks...it was crazy. Maybe I just felt cold upon waking but anyway after I had my breakfast I realized I was way overdressed and that is a horrible thing on a long run. You only have two choices: start disrobing extra layers and carry them with you the whole time wrapped around your waist or tucked in somewhere. So I took off one layer and went to check my hydration pack.
Hydration pack was missing a piece to the hose. Shit. I looked everywhere for it, squashed the urge to check online to see if i would have to buy a whole new hose or hydration bladder once I realized it was the O ring that was missing. So. No hydration pack. Bummer. It holds a liter and half of water in it which isn't a big deal in town but it also has many very handy pockets and places to stash phone, food, etc... I also (Not a good week for gear) had lost two caps to my water belt bottles so more time was spent looking for two more caps (finally found two more) so I could carry the water in my belt. This meant not any real pockets so i had to re-do my plans for carrying stuff. I have thought of a good way to carry my huge phone now---I tuck it into an arm warmer on my arm rolled up so it tucks in there very nicely so no need to carry it around in my running belt which is getting pretty worn itself.
So, okay, breakfast.....then I had to take another layer off because..29 degrees....so I got all dressed in my running clothes and Altras and finally got to head out. As soon as i stepped out I felt ice. Oh oh. Run in to get on my trail shoes which have the nice rubber nobbies on them and also my yaktrax for the ice. Outside. Ready to go. Forgot my hat. DAMMIT! Got up at 6--left the house at 8:20. Oh well.
The ice was a challenge and I had to go pretty slowly and keep a special look out for shiny parts that meant ICE. The traction on my Salomon Fellrunners really helped i think even more than the yaktrax but, still, had to go fairly slowly. I have also started Maffetone training again which, unlike the usual method of 220-age for max heart rate, is 180-age and then add or subract a bit of points for such thing as recent injuries, running mileage, etc..i had been running pretty consistently high mileage without any injuries so I added a few points making my heart rate max on the program 141. I found, to my happy surprise, that the Maffetone Method really works as well as they say. I was able to stay well under my heart rate while still maintaining my generally usual pace. In an un-icy environment it would have been even better.
I have also been practicing a race technique wherein I run 17 minutes, speed walk 3 minutes, then run 17 min, speed walk 3 minutes. I happen to be a pretty fast walker so can usually keep up about 14 minute mile and have had on good advice this would be a good way to do the run/walk intervals for the 100 mile. I have actually started working on a strategy for the 100 miler that has to do with walking/running that I think might work in my favor and help me to get my time in under 30 this year....hopefully a pretty good amount under 30 if I work very hard and am dedicated and persistent.
I get a lot of thinking done on these long runs and sometimes run through a lot of emotions. I have so much time to myself that get a lot of things worked out. This is another reason I love endurance training---it really gets me in touch with myself--how I feel about things, what I have been worried about, things I want to do and see and what I want for my life. Big, deep thoughts but also little thoughts about my friends, my work, stuff I need to get done, snippets of poetry or music. It's good to have that time alone to just process.
It was about 2 1/2 hours into the run I started to feel a run-down feeling. I had my gummy fish for some quick sugar and also some honey sticks but felt I needed some coke and maybe a tiny bit of real food as by now it was already 11 am. So I veered off to burger king, got a small coke and some chicken nuggets, ate and then was on my way again. I felt revived by the food and sugar in the coke and so my pace was a little better and I felt better.
I kept up the 17/3 and occasionally picked an entire mile to speed walk it. That was good. It gave me a bit of variety.
I ran all over town, from the rail trail up the B-line to then grab walnut to 14th street then over to the college a bit, then hit downtown for a little bit, caught the B-line went up to 11th st....and so on. My Garmin beeped..shit running out of battery power...and I Had charged it up all night. Hoping it would withstand the rest of my run I also put on the Strava app on my phone just to make it up so i could then add everything together and get exact mileage.
I got near home, finally, 5 1/2 hours later at 25 miles. Because I am me I decided I wanted to run an extra mile and get in my own personal "marathon" so I ran a bit more. Wouldn't you know it. Garmin died at 25.66 but I know I was more than a third of a mile until home so I am counting it.
Specifics of training run:
Shoes: Salomon Fellrunners
Gear: Nathan Hydration belt with two 9 ounce bottles for water
Nutrition: Egg sandwich, banana for breakfast, honey sticks, gummy fish, chicken nuggets, coke
Hydration: about 30 oz. of water, no electrolyte drink
Pace: Variable depending on iciness of terrain and whether running or speed walking
Training specifics worked on during the training run: Maffetone Method training; 17/3 interval training; Time on my Feet; nutrition timing.
