Found the Limit

Well much like yesterday's run, today's was a struggle. It was the same long 7 miler that I ran last Wednesday along Kelly Drive. Of course, last week I was actually helped out by some bathroom breaks that gave me rest.

Today, my legs were sore early on, but at least they didn't feel as dead as they had on Tuesday's shorter 3 mile run. Despite that, I went out pretty hard and pushed the envelope. I struggled, but made it to the turnaround at about the same time as last week. One thing that is really tough is staying focused and pushing so much early on. At least on the way back, I can sense the finish. On the way out, all I can work towards is the turnaround, knowing that over half the route is yet to come.

I knew even before the turnaround, that I would be using a 2 minute walk break. After running for about 5 minutes past the turnaround, I decide to walk and conserve energy. It helped my legs recover a little, but not as much as I had hoped. I did still feel okay when pushing to the St. Joe's Prep boathouse.

It went downhill from there though. I tried to focus on segments again, but this time it didn't work so well. My legs just had nothing. I even tried to tell myself that I need to get tougher in a run like this if I truly want to be elite.

I still pushed to the grandstands, but really just died after that. I tried to walk again, but to no avail. My legs were just so dead. I was passed by a runner and had nothing for him.

I sputtered home. I was able to get enough energy to close out the last half mile strong. Even with two walk breaks, I still nearly ran an 8 minute pace. The hardest thing with the walk breaks is getting going again and really getting into a rhythm.

The hill sprints and the extra intensity are obviously causing me some trouble now. I'm definitely going to try to back off in some way next week. I doubt I'll do any Thursday hill work and possibly none on Tuesday either depending on how I feel. While I don't want to taper for the half marathon, since it's not my goal race, I still want to be somewhat fresh.

I was disappointed with how the run went, but also satisfied too. You don't know what your limit is until you reach it and try to go beyond. I obviously found out where it was today. That should make me stronger, provided this extra work doesn't continue to be a problem. Too often, I have felt like I left too much in the tank during a race. The more I can know my limits, the closer I can come to those limits.

I decided to attend the Philadelphia Catholic League cross country meet today. I wanted to see where they actually run on the Belmont Plateau course. Some of it is on grass and some is stone trail. I'm going to run it tomorrow. There are some steep hills, so I might not do any hill workouts afterward. The run will be an easy 4 miler. I'm always excited to find a new course.

Hopefully my body will recover well on Friday. I have a big 15 mile run to cover on Saturday. My legs were sore as I rested in bed today, but once I got to the meet and got them moving, I recovered better. My groin continues to bother me after every run. Hopefully it'll get better at some point. At least it isn't bothering me during my runs yet. At least with the soreness I'm feeling now, I know I'm working hard.

7 miles - 56:18 (8:03 pace)