On Long Runs

I love a good long run. I do all the runs on my training plan, even the ones I don't really want to do or feel like I have to do. But I really look forward to long runs of 15 to 20 miles. What do I love about them? With the kids, pets, and general chaos at home, I luxuriate in spending two to three hours alone, being able to get into the zone that I do after an hour or so on my feet. I love racking up the miles, and especially love it when I look at my watch to find that seven or eight miles have gone by and I didn't even notice how far I'd come. I love the feeling of accomplishment afterward, when I note in my training log that I ran 15, 17, 20 miles. A long run that goes extremely well is just icing on the cake. Sunday was a great long run, in spite of waking up at 4:30 am to meet Chip B. at 5:50 for the run.

Chip is part of a big group that runs every Sunday from John Fabbro's Fleet Feet store in Montclair. The group usually meets at 7 am, but there occasionally are a few people who need to start earlier due to scheduling conflicts. No one else showed up so early, so Chip and I set out ourselves. He really knew the course well, we hit some challenging hills and kept things quite relaxed, averaging about a 9:44 pace for the first 7 miles, at which point we ended up back in front of Fleet Feet at 7 am. I grabbed a good drink, something I did not do on last week's run, and Chip and I started up again with the rest of the Fleet Feet group. After a mile, I veered off for a pit stop at Watchung Plaza, then headed out on my own to Brookdale Park. I did another 3-4 miles at a faster pace, to end at mile 12 at Anderson Park with an average pace of 9:20. Anderson Park has a nice asphalt path, .6 mile long. As per my coach's instructions, I picked up the pace at mile 13. I was dreading this part because I basically bonked last Sunday and almost puked when I picked up the pace for the last two miles of that run. But it was fantastic! I ran the 13th mile at 7:56 (sub-8!), the 14th mile at 8:20, and the last mile, on the road back to Fleet Feet, at 8:28, for an average pace of 8:15. Last week my average pace for the 2 final, faster miles was 8:49. I was quite satisfied.

I also felt better after the run. No nausea or dead legs like last week. This surprised me, because I forgot to take any gels on the course (though I had 2 in my pouch), doh! The only frustrating part of this run was my stomach. I had some pretty greasy Chinese food Saturday night with friends, and that caused some major distress along the way. Two bathroom stops and some major cramping, and that even with one immodium before the run. I must be better about nutrition.

In fact, I know I could improve my performance by 6 minutes just by losing 5 lbs, but all I've been doing lately is eating. Not unhealthy food, but ugh! Too much. I don't understand how I can be so devoted to most of the other aspects of marathoning while ignoring one of the most important, my diet. I need to stop baking for a few months.