Yesterday's 15-mile run went very well overall, but I still have some learning to do with long runs. Saturday's weather was perfect for a long run - low humidity and temperatures in the 60s. Thank you Mother Nature! I learned my lessons from the week before and incorporated a water stop about 5 miles in to refill my half empty bottles and to take in a few more ounces. I also took some Powerbar gel that actually was pretty good. But about 6 miles later I was really in the need for some more gel. Fluid wise, I was OK, but I once again struggled near the end. It was much better, though, than last week's 14-mile debacle.
I'm not really too worried about time yet, but my overall pace was just over 9 minutes a mile. I'm very pleased with that considering I still have two-plus months of training to go. It makes my four-hour "reasonable" goal extremely realistic. I still have some worked to do to achieve 3 hours, 30 minutes, which is what I really want.
My legs handled yesterday's run very well. They were a bit sluggish by the end of the day, but that was partly because I had to continue packing in the afternoon, so there wasn't much resting going on after the run.
As for the week ahead, life is going to be hectic. It's a built-in recovery week anyway, so I'm not overly concerned about missing my long run. My main goal is to run more than 20 miles - anything over will be bonus. Moving day next weekend will provide some excellent cross training in place of a long run.
Lastly, here's an update on my 2007 mileage:
August - 109.6
Year to date - 625.3
2023 Races Recap
4 months ago
4 comments:
Congrats on the run!!! Wasn't the weather great this weekend? Running is so much better when the weather cooperates.
David,
You're making good progress. Nice long run effort. Some ideas to make your 3:30 come true... you'll need a progressively larger portion of your miles run at 8:00 pace (3:30). Lots of 9:00s even when combined with some faster track work won't get you there.
Also, I'm going to guess, given what you outlined for your long runs... your issue is far more likely fluid. Gels really are not adviseable - they are too dense. Optimal carb concentration is 6-9% which is what most commercial sports drinks are. The current research advocates taking these drinks for all "water" stops, don't take plain water and don't take gels. Never take gels and sports drinks together. If you do take a gel, you need to take large amounts of plain water to get it to the 6-9% concentration which is best for absorption. (What good are bunches of carbs if they only sit in your stomach and never get to your muscles... right?) Hope this helps some. Keep up the great work!
Coach Dean
Coach Dean - thanks for the advice! Marathon training is definitely a new experience for me and I'm learning a lot about my body and its needs.
Just found your blog, and am really enjoying it.
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