Well,my last long run of 35 km was a very strong run for me. It felt slow, but my overall time was under 3 hours. That was quite shocking, as I am seeing the last few kilometers in the distance left to hoof out. Then it dawned on me, what is the qualifying time for my age group in Boston, the mecca of running standards for so many endurance runners? For me, it will be 20 minutes more than yesterday's 35 km long time at 3:20:00 . Can I doll out 7 km at the end under 20 minutes? Wow, suddenly that goal doesn't seem so far off! Qualifying for Boston, although I doubt I would get there in the next couple for years, would be powerfully satisfying to me. We will see how the next few weeks of training pan out to solidify this as a possibility.
This distance is truly humbling. as I feel the weight of it when I set out, the prep it takes from trial and error and other runners' wisdom becomes a survival skill. I must respect the distance as I note the toll it takes on my hips (especially after climbing stairs!) I ended up really tired yesterday and walking like a cowboys with saddle sores all day.
I am hydrating well, listening to music for maybe a quarter of the time, taking Gu at about the 1.5 hour mark. I realize I must watch how I eat the rest of the day as it will not only affect my recovery, but I am feeling hunger all day and thirst all day long after these longer runs. My wife noted that i expended over 2000 calories during my 35 km run! That is almost a full day's intake right there. I could stand to lose maybe 8 pounds or so for speed sake, but this is new territory for me. I ate quite randomly yesterday, which for my world is fun, but after the leftovers of my wife's birthday party are gone (including Purdy's chocolate fondue and fruit! :O ) I should really follow a plan in the next few weeks as I need to concentrate on recovery and fueling.
Another note:
Last week as I ended my long run of 33 km, I was going up the long ill to my road and something deep in me needed a push, so I began out of gut level instincts to talk myself up the hill. "You can do it, you can do it, you can..." I rarely do this while running, but hill seem to do this at times to me, when I am digging deep.
6 comments:
Wow, to BQ is something else. For me personally, being able to run Boston sounds fun, but I have another race in mind. The recovery and eating after a long run can be challenging. I usually have a protein shake after anything over 10 miles or so. If I do get really hungry later, I always try and eat good foods like fruits and vegetables. But sometimes I find myself turning into a garbage disposal on junk. The protein I believe is really important, but I am just learning as I continue on this journey as well. God Bless Chad!
Too true re: junk. Last nite the leftovers from my wife's party was amazing, but i knew it was not what my body needed, just the thing that waited for me as we hung out. *sigh* I Loved it.
All this blogging is cheaper than counseling!
Ya too therapeutic!
Training itself is therapeutic! I dont know what I would have done in the last couple of years if I hadnt been running, and now with the blog, to get my thoughts out!
I find filling my face with food therapeutic and then doing 20 pushups.
lol. Me too.
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