Weather - 78 degrees, cloudy, raining. What started out as a medium length run turned into a 3 1/2 hour long run. When I was nearing the 90 minute mark it started to rain, which kept me cool and refreshed, so I altered my plan and decided to run until I hit the wall. I wanted to get a recent feel of the discomfort which the wall can inflict, so that when I run the ultra marathon next month I will be sure to keep the pace moderate and slow, especially for the first 15 miles. I tried to make todays pace reflect the pace which I will set for the race, which is about 9:00-9:15 per mile. A few of the miles I probably ran 8:30-8:45, but when I started to feel bad I made sure to slow down until recovering. Last week I ran 3 hours, but todays run seemed so much more. Maybe it was the route, or the weather, but I seemed to hit more peaks and valleys today. At the 3 hour mark I felt punch drunk, which means that I lost some leg coordination. I felt like it would be easy to trip on a stone or root. I wasn't exactly staggering, but my leg strength began to slowly dwindle as the minutes pressed further forward. I never did feel awful, I was in control the whole way, which gives me confidence. When I stopped I wasn't yet at the wall, but I could feel the death march commander creeping along the nearing horizon. I know that I am going to have a date with this taskmaster at the race, probably around mile 25-26, meaning I will have to suffer through 7 miles of agony. I can't wait.... After the run I walked 25 minutes, then plunged into a hot bath. Immediately after the bath I rolled an ice bottle on my legs for 20 minutes. They did not feel sore after this, just a bit fatigued, which is a good sign. Hopefully there will not be much soreness tomorrow. #309
| 