This morning was brutal. It was long run day and I had a goal of 14.5 miles in 2.5 hours. Pretty aggressive considering my half marathon was 2 hours and 21 minutes at 13.1 miles. Long story short, I started off slow, but didn't exactly finish strong. I did finish, but it hurt..... a lot.
Whenever I have a sucky long run I learn things. This morning was no exception. The first thing I learned this morning was, no more long run days the day after tempo training. I ran three 10 minute splits yesterday with an average pace of 9:07/mile. That's fast for me and I have the achy piriformis muscle today to prove it (that's deep butt tissue pain for the uninitiated - way down in there where your sits bones are). The second thing I learned is that it's a whole lot different running a half marathon at the end of a nice, low mileage taper week. I already had 15 miles running and 9 miles on the bike going into the run this morning. Ouch!
The third thing was a reminder about fuel. I kept my carbs up this week, but dropped my calories. Bad idea. While you can't bank time in a race, you can bank calories for the long run at the end of the week. Ugh! Back to more work on the meal planning. I'll get the hang of this eventually. And while we're on the topic of fuel, the fourth thing I learned was that when you feel like falling out, it's probably best to go ahead and eat that second energy gel, even if you've never tried that brand before. Either that or just remember to look at what you're stuffing in your fuel belt and only take things you're familiar with. I am sure I would have finished a lot stronger with that extra 100 calories and electrolytes to boost my system.
On to number 5 (really number 4 since I discovered this before the gel thing, but wanted to group the fuel things together..... anywhooo.....), I need to update my running playlist. The run started well with a pump you up Kanye West tune, and then it was Lady Gaga until the 8.5 mile marker. Really, iPod? I have over 200 songs in that list and you have to "randomize" all the Gaga together??? That just plain mean.
The sixth thing I discovered is just how important wearing your Road ID is. I forgot mine this morning and didn't realize it until the 12 mile mark. I knew at that point if I headed to the house to get it I would not finish, but I was much more conservative after realizing I had no ID on me. I am going to get a basket to keep all my long run stuff in to make sure I don't forget anything critical again. That was just plain stupid on my part and could have been disastrous.
The seventh thing I learned is that the most fabulous post-long-run snack is 1% cottage cheese with strawberries on top. Oh, heaven in a bowl! Last night I was smart enough to take a cup or so of the cottage cheese and scoop it into a bowl, dump some frozen strawberries on top, sprinkle with chopped walnuts, and drizzle with agave nectar. I got salt, sugars, protein, and a lil fat, along with welcome moisture and coldness. Mmmmm, mmmmm. I will definitely do that again.
So here I sit, on the ferry to Bolivar, with a fire in my glutes and an achy right hip flexor. The run was not 2.5 hours, but 2.75 hours long, if you're still interested at this point, so my feet are enjoying a break. I'm a little tired, but I got to have Amy's Organic Mac n'Cheese with Tabasco and Old Bay on top for lunch, and Morningstar Farms mini-corndogs with Zatarain's creole mustard for a snack. Yummolicious! There is no running on my calendar for the weekend and I'm happy about that. The truth is, I miss my weights.
Mostly, I'm thinking about the run. That was only 14.5 miles and it was a killer. How am I going to finish 26.2? How do I fuel better, hydrate more efficiently, and stay on my feet even longer? Oh, I'll get there, and hopefully you'll stick with me to the finish line. Only 5 weeks to go until San Diego!
And then, there's New York......
Start slow, finish strong.
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