I'll bet you did a little double take when you saw that post title. It's been fun learning the runner's jargon these last few months, so I wanted you all to share in the fun. LSD for runners, well I was going to say it's not mind altering but it is (we'll get to that in a minute). When a runner says it was their LSD day, that's their day to run long, slow distance. So, please don't report me to the authorities or anything drastic when I say today was my day for LSD. And it felt SO good!
If you recall from last Fridays LSD report, I had a hard time of it, and I've been taking a lot of time to listen to my coaches as well as doing some research of my own. I discovered my problem and have a fablous running report today - I feel great after 16 miles on my feet! My problem was simple pride - I was going too fast. What I'd been trying to maintain on my long runs was my typical easy run pace, and that's just way too fast for really long distances. So I took the advice of someone who told me that to be on pace for a long run, I should start out uncomfortably slow.
Being a natural jackrabbit (my previous serious running experience was as a sprinter), it took me a long time to figure out how to pace myself just finish a normal distance run. To run even slower than that took every ounce of my willpower, but I was determined to have a great Friday this week. I went out the door an hour earlier than usual to allow for the extra time, and got to watch the sun come up. Nice way to start the day.
Starting my run, I decided to target splitting the run into five 5Ks with a short walk/water break in between each one. That worked well for the first three, and was going quite well in the fourth one when I was suddenly overcome with hunger. I'd had a Gu at 6.4 miles and hadn't expected to need more fuel just yet. Actually, to tell the truth, I did not think it was possible for the human body to even feel hungry after running 12 miles. I always thought fueling was just something you did because you knew you needed to do it whether you wanted to or not. Hearing my coach in my head ("Listen to your body!") I stopped and pulled out a second Gel. It was the one I hadn't wanted to try last week because I've never tried them before. Well, I ate it. It was nasty. I officially do not like the Powerade gels. It didn't do anything bad to me; I just didn't care for the flavor or the texture.
From that point on it was run a mile, walk a quarter until 14.75 miles, when it was run a half, walk a quarter, run a half. Yes, I was a little wobbly, but I was not totally wiped out. The muscles I'd been having trouble with in my hips and glutes felt better than they had since before last Friday's long run. Not only did I not crash, I went straight into the house, got my post run snack and a cup of coffee, and went upstairs in my wet running gear to log into my computer and get to work. Wow! I figured it out!
Okay, that go a little long, but I am so excited to have accomplished this milestone, I just had to share the experience. I was really dreading this run all week after last week's pain and misery, but I did the homework I needed to do and made it what I really wanted this time around. Go me!
Now, back to this thing about LSD and it being mind altering. Distance running is as much a mental sport as it is anything else. It's about commitment, thinking about how far you've come and how far you have left to go. It's about focus, thinking about your cadence, stride, and pace, while listening to the feedback your poor, tired body is giving you. It's about choosing to keep moving forward and doing more. As crazy as it seems, your mental self-talk is critical after you get to a certain point, and you have to have your own personal pep rally in your head. Because ultimately it's about encouraging and allowing yourself to achieve your goals.
Until next time: Start slow, Finish strong!
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