Week Review / Back in the Saddle / Taper Time!

Boy, last week was a roller coaster for me. I started the week with a horrible 22-mile run (documented in a previous post), followed by two days off to recover, two easy runs (one with a fast mile thrown in), then a strong 8-mile run on Saturday morning at a 7:16 clip.
Here are last week's numbers:

Runs: 4
Miles: 40.3
Time: 6:08:00
Long: 22 mi

Today, I ran my final long-ish run of my marathon training plan - 16 miles. After last Monday's fiasco, I wanted this run to end on a high note. It was warm (70), humid and windy! This was a tale of two runs. Basically, it consisted of an 8-mile warmup leading into an 8-mile tempo run. For the first 8 miles, I decided to keep my heart rate below 130 bpm. That necessitated a painfully slow 9:21 pace. However, that set me up for a fast second half...assuming I had anything in the tank. My legs felt a little flat, but I thought I'd transition into a faster pace with an 8:14 mile 9. The remaining 7 miles were as follows: 7:55, 7:46, 7:35, 7:36, 7:37, 7:27. So, out in 1:14:52, back in 1:01:36 (7:42 avg). While it wasn't easy, it didn't wipe me out, and it restored some confidence. I followed the run with the traditional 15-minute ice bath.

Something I really should have been doing all along is weighing myself before and after long runs. I did that today, and was shocked to see I was 4.6 lbs lighter after my run! To be fair, I ate pizza last night and was probably retaining a good amount of water, but that really opened my eyes to how much fluid I'm losing out there.

Now...bring on the taper!

18 Miler

It was supposed to rain today, but it turned out to be mostly sunny (and breezy). Today's 18 mile run was my longest run so far. As has been the pattern in recent long runs, I felt so-so for the first 7-8 miles, then got into a nice groove for the remainder of the run. It was an out and back course. I ran 8:55's on the way out, and around 8:30's on the way back (8:44 overall pace - 2:37:12 total time). Took 3 Gu's and drank Heed. Had a bit of hip soreness and my feet weren't always happy, but all in all I'm very pleased with this run. Quite a confidence builder. I now know I can run 20, and the marathon seems a little less intimidating. I'm still not taking it for granted, though! The weekend after next (3/21) is the Mercer Island half marathon, so no long run next week.

One problem I have now is getting calories in shortly after the run. My stomach usually doesn't want food for 2-3 hours. Even now, an hour and a half after the run, I still feel a tad nauseous. I need to figure that one out, especially on runs like today, where I burned close to 2000 calories!

I took the usual 15-minute ice bath after the run and am sitting here in three layers on top and three on the bottom, also wearing two pairs of wool socks. It took about 20 minutes after the bath to stop shivering. Ah, you gotta love the ice bath! My legs will thank me tomorrow, though.

Lord Hill trail run

Did a trail run at Lord Hill (and, yes, it was hilly) with 3 fellow runners (Tony C., Kendall K, and Kelsey K.). 11.62 miles (so says the Garmin) in 2:14:19. Time included walking steep hills and stopping to wait for people a few times. Fun run! Cold, though (27 when we started). My running streak will end today, at 19 days. I'm resting tomorrow, then running a Last Chance half marathon in Bellingham, WA on Thursday. I'll run it as a training run instead of for time. Should be fun. And cold.

Oh, one extra thing I wanted to mention. If you're like me, you may NOT want to take a 15-minute ice bath after a 2+ hour run in 27 degree weather (especially if you're as lean as I am, w/o natural insulation). I think I nearly got hypothermic after the bath. Was shaking so hard, I couldn't hold a cup of tea. I bundled up in several layers and closed myself in the bathroom in front of a wall heater for 40 minutes. Live and learn. Hopefully it helped my legs recover, anyway.