18 Miles of Reality

Two weeks since 16.4 and I was ready to go even farther. Or so I thought.

Not sure if it's the leisurely pace I have frequently run in my long days up to this point, or the regular stops I have taken on my long days up to this point, but this past Saturday's Runner's World 18.4-mile training run was WORK! Knees and arches started getting sore around mile 10 or 11, and I knew I was in trouble. I was able to run almost the entire track with an old high school friend of mine up until the last 4 miles. He received a call from work, so the last 4 miles were mine to battle alone. Actually, it was probably a good thing because my struggle was pretty obvious.

Still no real concerns about completing 26.2 though. I've got to make sure my form is good. Got to keep trying to work out the arch pain I've been having in my left foot throughout the weeks. Got to work harder during my weekday runs. And I've got to mentally prepare for the reality of running that long of a stretch. Obviously, 26.2 miles is not impossible, but I don't think it's supposed to be easy. After 16.4, I think I had deceived myself into thinking that 26.2 and 16.4 probably didn't feel too different. Now, I have more respect for the mileage.

I did try to dig in a little more during this morning's 5-mile run, but still didn't move as quickly as I would liked to have. The late night last night for my wife's surprise birthday party (thank goodness I'm not keeping that secret anymore!) didn't help, but I've run 5 miles on even less sleep than I got last night! I guess a good thing about running is that it is a constant (and constantly changing) challenge. You don't just win and quit. You can always improve some aspect.


3-14-09
Distance: 18.4 miles
Time: 3 hours (apprx.)
Avg. Mile Pace: 9:46

3-16-09
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 40:12
Avg. Mile Pace: 7:58