I got my 7 mile/17 mile training runs in this weekend.
I did the 7 miles Friday after work, and it went great. TOO great. I plan on walking most of the 1/2, so I wanted to do the 7 miles at a 15 min pace. I just couldn't do it, and ended up finishing them at a 14 min pace.
Saturday morning my son had a football game, so I went out for the 17 miles right from there at 10am. My goal was not to go faster than a 13min pace. Looking back, I should have had more for breakfast than a small bagel with a slice of cheese on it. In the first 2 miles, my right shin was hurting. It went away, though, and the next few miles were pretty uneventful. I was out on the paved bike path, and it was quiet. Too quiet. I did see a baby grass snake and 3 deer crossed the path. Boredom set in, and the hills were starting to wear me down. At mile 10, I got in the car and drove home.
I reapplied sunscreen, had 2 leftover chicken nuggets, and went back to my usual route. The neighborhood is flatter than the bike path, so I thought that may help. I made it another 3.5 miles, mostly walking, and my average pace dropped to around 14min. I just didn't have it in me. I made a bowl of ramen noodles, and felt better after eating them. I pulled it together, went out and finished the last 3.5 miles.
I'll call this a learning experience. 1. Don't go out too fast on the first run. 2. Do the first run in the morning, so you have more recovery time. 3. I think I'm going to have to schedule in some food for longer runs, not just sport beans. 4. I was dehydrated. I drank my usual amount, but I don't usually go out that late in the day and it was sunny. I downed a second 32oz Powerade Zero when I got home. That would usually send me running to the bathroom every 10 minutes. I realized about 3 hours later that I hadn't gone at all.
Only 3 more killer training weekends and one half-marathon in Vegas, then Goofy!
Have a great week!
