Now 22... Is a Fine Number
This morning I rolled out of bed at 3:15 for my weekly long run. Due to scheduling issues, in order to squeeze a long run in today, I would have to be back at the house by 7am. So a 3 hour workout requires a 4am start. Luckily, I went to bed very early last night and by 3am I was awake on my own. Tea, toast, and I was out the door by 4 o'clock. It was cold! Frost settled in last night and the air was crisp. The buoy said 47 degrees with no wind but I am certain on land it was in the 30's. This is common in the fall and winter - the bouy always registering a warmer temp than on the island.
I was surprised by how good I felt! When I shuffled down the road in the dark I felt like I owned the town. The only one out and doing the most important workout of the week. I got thinking before my run about my comment the other day regarding snack stops during the long runs. Today, I thought I'd try a little variation on that theme. So yesterday I purchased some PowerGels and some plastic cups. I put my water in the cups on the hood of my car. So every 5k I would run by the house, swipe a cup, drink, and drop the cup (for later pickup) on the side of the road. I took one PowerGel before the run, 1 at the 5k mark, one at the 15k mark and the last at the 25k mark. This worked remarkably well and I had a wonderful run. My total time was 2:51:58 or a 7:47 pace. This included a couple of short stops at the house but not as long as the 18 miler stops. The 5k splits were:
5K 24:16 - 7:50 pace
10K 24:02 - 7:45 pace
15K 23:25 - 7:33 pace
20K 22:42 - 7:19 pace
25K 24:03 - 7:45 pace (met up with Eric and he agreed to run the final laps with me. I'll trade speed for a company anyday)
30K 23:24 - 7:34 pace
35K 23:18 - 7:31 pace
The final .4 miles in 2:57 (7:22 pace). I had good easy progression until I saw Eric coming down the street. I yelled "Come run some laps!" like I was referring to a track and he agreed. I had 3 laps to go and we set off. The pace slowed a little but that was ok with me. Running 7 x 5k laps in the dark by oneself can drive you crazy. The rule is ALWAYS accept company!
We cruised through the silent streets of Eastport and we gradually increased our pace. He is used to running longer loops around the island and was commenting on how quickly these laps seemed to be going. I have become accustomed to these shorter laps and believe that part of the faster secret is 1) access to water/food at more regular intervals and 2) each time I feel a slight drop in energy I'm only a mile or two from the house and it's easy to say "I'll just push it to the house".
Of note: I saw the space station go whizzing by in the starry sky on Lap 1 or 2, was thinking about my blog when I almost ran over a skunk, spotted the obligatory herd of deer and waived to the patrol car 7 different times in 7 different parts of town.
Yesterday I ran an easy 1 hour. Not one step further. I was glad that was all was on tap. Tomorrow - 1 hour easy.
I was surprised by how good I felt! When I shuffled down the road in the dark I felt like I owned the town. The only one out and doing the most important workout of the week. I got thinking before my run about my comment the other day regarding snack stops during the long runs. Today, I thought I'd try a little variation on that theme. So yesterday I purchased some PowerGels and some plastic cups. I put my water in the cups on the hood of my car. So every 5k I would run by the house, swipe a cup, drink, and drop the cup (for later pickup) on the side of the road. I took one PowerGel before the run, 1 at the 5k mark, one at the 15k mark and the last at the 25k mark. This worked remarkably well and I had a wonderful run. My total time was 2:51:58 or a 7:47 pace. This included a couple of short stops at the house but not as long as the 18 miler stops. The 5k splits were:
5K 24:16 - 7:50 pace
10K 24:02 - 7:45 pace
15K 23:25 - 7:33 pace
20K 22:42 - 7:19 pace
25K 24:03 - 7:45 pace (met up with Eric and he agreed to run the final laps with me. I'll trade speed for a company anyday)
30K 23:24 - 7:34 pace
35K 23:18 - 7:31 pace
The final .4 miles in 2:57 (7:22 pace). I had good easy progression until I saw Eric coming down the street. I yelled "Come run some laps!" like I was referring to a track and he agreed. I had 3 laps to go and we set off. The pace slowed a little but that was ok with me. Running 7 x 5k laps in the dark by oneself can drive you crazy. The rule is ALWAYS accept company!
We cruised through the silent streets of Eastport and we gradually increased our pace. He is used to running longer loops around the island and was commenting on how quickly these laps seemed to be going. I have become accustomed to these shorter laps and believe that part of the faster secret is 1) access to water/food at more regular intervals and 2) each time I feel a slight drop in energy I'm only a mile or two from the house and it's easy to say "I'll just push it to the house".
Of note: I saw the space station go whizzing by in the starry sky on Lap 1 or 2, was thinking about my blog when I almost ran over a skunk, spotted the obligatory herd of deer and waived to the patrol car 7 different times in 7 different parts of town.
Yesterday I ran an easy 1 hour. Not one step further. I was glad that was all was on tap. Tomorrow - 1 hour easy.
posted by Andrew at 6:28 PM
4 Comments:
Great job on the 22 miler Andrew. Good splits on the 5K's, and it sounds like you were feeling the love of the run. If you are a caffeine nut like me I suggest the GU espresso love. It's the only gel I actually enjoy. If you do try it, I suggest only one or two. They have twice the caffeine and I think if I had more than 2 my heart would explode. Keep it up.
3:15 a.m.?! That's dedication. Nic run, too.
What happened to my e? Sorry, that's supposed to be "nice run," of course.
22 miler under your belt. 18 miler under your belt. Reading this and Marc's positive comments on his blog makes me think you guys are going to tear it up at the Cape!
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