Final Long Run

Today was my final long run of this marathon training session. Unlike last week, I was able to get this 13 miler in without any problems. What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday, it was in the upper 80s and very humid. Today, it was in the low 50s and incredibly windy. The last few days brought some of the worst winds that I can remember. Even tougher than some of the windiest days of winter.

Because of the wind, I elected to try running on Forbidden Drive. I figured the trees would offer protection from the huge gusts. It definitely did work out right. Although they was still a chilly breeze, it was nearly as bad as it appeared to be along the river. What I gained in wind protection, I lost it sunlight though. The combination of clouds and tree cover made it pretty cold.

Originally, I thought about wearing just short sleeves. It was good that I didn't go with that option though. I felt great and comfortable throughout the run with my compression sleeves on. My New Balance Tech T-shirt seems to be great for wind protection too.

The run definitely wasn't 100% peaceful though. The combination of the cold and wind and my allergies led to me discharging a lot of mucus. I ended up cleaning up my running nose quite often. I didn't have too much trouble breathing, but wasn't completely comfortable either.

The run was great early on. I headed north on Forbidden Drive from Valley Green. I took 6 Sport Beans before the run and had a lot of energy at the beginning. I kept a nice pace though and held back quite a bit. I cruised along and felt good by the time I made it back to Valley Green. This the same route that I took on a shorter run this past week. I felt much better and more relaxed during this easy run though.

The second portion of the run was tough. I went south from Valley Green. That section is always more difficult because it is quite hilly. After one downhill, I hit a stretch that I actually didn't recognize at the moment. It wasn't until I ran through there uphill on the way back, that I remembered.

I kept running and running, just trying to get a little further away, so I wouldn't have to run much extra. Originally, I thought about turning around when I hit the Lincoln Drive path. Knowing I'd still have to run a couple more miles, I continued along the paved path. After a few short hills, I eventually turned around at about my 8.7. That meant that I would have less than a mile to finish up after Valley Green.

After turning around, the remainder of the run was rather tough. I didn't stop to drink the first time I was at Valley Green. That was a mistake. It wasn't too hot, but I still got dehydrated. Around mile 9, I started to feel the effects. I knew I'd survive the run, but I sure wasn't feeling great. I actually drink at all until after the run. I'll definitely stop and drink more at the marathon next week.

I made it through the end by just focusing on the next mile. Again, it was tough though with so much uphill running and so little water. I was very relieved when I hit miles 11 and 12. To finish up, I ran back out a short distance north of Valley Green. I completed the run about 100 yards from my car. I then got some much needed water from the fountain.

Other than being dehydrated, my body felt great. I had a lot of energy and only very mild soreness. The taper is definitely helping to keep me fresh. It's amazing to think that today's easy 13 miler was only slightly slower than the fall half marathon that I struggled through. What progress I am making. The only thing I didn't like about this run was that my miles were very inconsistent. One was quite fast and the next was slow. I'm usually relatively steady in these.

I am so eager to get to next week. Today, was the first time I really started thinking about the marathon. It has been a lot of hard work and I'm looking forward to completing another challenge. Hopefully I can accomplish my goal for the race. It'll be interesting because this will be the first race that I'm truly setting a goal for. We'll have to see how that pushes me. I felt like I've given a lot during my long races to date, but I haven't gone all out at any point. Now, we'll see what I'm really made of.

I started thinking a lot about pace. I know I won't be able to negative split the course, so I won't even try. I'm struggling with what my pace should be at the halfway and 18 mile points. I think mile 18 is going to be a big key. If I can somewhat race the final 8 miles, that would be huge. I've done 8 miles for stretches before, most recently the two marathon paced runs.

My biggest concerned is what pace is good and what is too fast. Will I benefit that much in the end by going 7:10 per mile early rather than 7:05. I did several miles under 7 minute pace early on in the half marathon and that is definitely faster than I want to go in this one. That said, I thought I was running pretty easy during those too, but my times showed otherwise. Either way, I'm not going to push the pace at all until at least my 16 and most likely not until 18. I feel like I'll probably struggle a bit in the final three miles, so I want to be under goal pace before those last couple.

I wish I had run the course a couple weeks ago. That wouldn't been a huge learning experience and a big help. I'd have a much better feel for what is good and what is too fast. I guess we'll just have to see how it goes. I can't wait.

13 miles - 1:42:33 (7:53 pace)