Longest Training Run

I both love and dread the long run Sundays. They are fun to see how far I can push myself. They are just so tough though and so time consuming. Last week, I ran my first 20 miler of this program. That was my longest training distance during the first marathon too. Therefore, today's 22 mile run was the longest training run that I ever did. The marathon is the only time I've run longer.

Again, I parked near Falls Bridge. I had to go to the bathroom this time though, so I ran to the Prep Boathouse. There was a regatta going on that tied up traffic, but at least it allowed for a lot of bathroom. I ran out about a mile and a half and relieved myself. The out and back in total was nearly 3 miles. It was a nice little start.

Just like last week, I ran through the paved Lincoln Drive path and then on threw to Forbidden Drive. The Lincoln Drive section is tough because it is hilly and paved. That gives the knees a good early pounding.

I was wondering early on if I allowed enough recovery from Friday's hard trail run. My legs were bothering me quite a bit at this point. The opposite of my kneecap from my usual IT band issue, had some minor soreness. Things did get better as I entered the gravel Forbidden Drive path. Less pounding on my legs was a huge relief.

My toes were actually a bit sore, but it didn't bother me too much. I also got used to it. I continued to be amazed at how little the early hills bothered me. I cruised up them on the gravel path. I passed quite a few female runners along the way.

It is so peaceful and calm on the path. I'm really taking a liking to running on it during my long run days. It is definitely better than the overcrowded Kelly Drive. The miles on Forbidden Drive seemed to fly by. Before I knew it, I was at Valley Green.

I originally intended to turn around at this point. I wanted to hydrate better today than last week. This time, I the water fountain was working though. I took a nice long drink and also stopped at the bathroom too. I kept my watching running during that. I decided I would continue on until the 8 mile point.

When I hit mile 8, I was just a few hundred meters from the covered bridge. I just ran to it before turning around. At this point, I was still feeling pretty good. On the way back, I stopped again at the water fountain.

Hydrating better during the run definitely helped. I also grabbed some salt packets from the movies the other night. I ate four of them throughout the run. That didn't taste great, but seemed like a big help. I definitely lost a lot of salt, as usual. My shirt was even stained with it.

Around miles 9 and 10, the hills started to bother me. It wasn't terrible, but the soreness and tiredness that early were tough. I wondered how I would last. Taking some Sport Beans a little later definitely helped. It re-energized me.

I was passed by a lady who was going pretty fast. Chances are that she wasn't going 22 miles, but she was still moving. I was impressed. I don't think anyone else actually ran by me today. Early on on Forbidden Drive, I saw a lot of fast runners coming the other way. I never encountered them on my side though.

Getting through the hilly paved section on Lincoln Drive was tough again. I knew I just had to keep battling and make it back to the car. Drinks were waiting for me there. I was relieved when I finally hit the last hill.

I got back to my car and wolfed down some Gatorade. I actually drank too much and had some side stitches when I started back up. The brief rest was great though. I ran along West River Drive. That section was again boring during this long run. It just seems to go on forever.

I felt like I was slowing, but really my times didn't indicate so. One big thing is that I was able to stay relaxed throughout the entire run. That allowed me to make it through this tough section. I just focused on getting to mile 18, so I could turn around.

I started having my IT band act up around mile 17.5. Thankfully, I turned around shortly after that and it went away. I stopped at the water fountain near Montgomery Drive. My body was hurting a lot before that. I got some side stitches. The water definitely helped. Shortly after, I ate my final salt packet. That was a big boost.

I didn't have much trouble getting to mile 20. I felt much better and stronger than last week. Although I didn't push it, I didn't feel like I was close to cramping either. It felt great to still feel that good that deep into a run.

When I got to my car, I was just over 20.5 miles. I took in some more Gatorade. I decided to run a mile down Kelly Drive and turn around. That would allow me some walking back to the car, so I could recover. My hamstrings definitely started getting sore during the final mile. I had to simply focus on each up coming quarter mile. The last turnaround was a big help.

I was so happy when I finally finished. My last mile was under 8 minutes too. I was still pretty dehydrated, but definitely better than last week. I had more in the tank. I probably could've even laid down another mile. I was excited that I didn't have to though.

Whether it was eating the salt, drinking more fluids or just the 10 degree cooler weather, I didn't felt better today than last week. That said, I still need to hydrate more, especially on race day. I lost about 3 pounds during the run. That is quite a bit. I am going to have to really run at the end of marathon day, not just survive. I won't be able to do that without being well hydrated.

I have two more long runs left. Next week, I am going back down to 18 mile to rest my body a little. The week after that, I'll bump back up to 23 miles. A lot of that will probably be on the marathon course. That will be the real test.

Tomorrow, I have an easy 4 mile run before work. I'll probably run then, because my body seems to be recovering well nowadays. I'm definitely sore at the moment, but not as bad as I'd expect to be. Later in the week, I might have to skip a run, since I'm running a Saturday 5K. We'll see how my body feels after another 50+ mile week.

22 miles - 3:05:29 (8:26 pace)