Treadmiles

The good news is that March is right around the corner. Next week is the B&A Half and I'm pretty sure they won't let me run that on the treadmill. But for this weeks long run, the day after some icy precipitation, even the Team in Training run got postponed, so off I was to the gym.

The B&A fit pretty closely into my training plan, but not exactly. Next week's 10 scheduled would be 13.1. This week was a scheduled 13, so I figured I'd just swap weeks. Well, that was the plan before my great run last Saturday. When I got to the gym, my plan was to do 14. It would be my longest run ever, but I knew I had some flexibility if it got tough. I also came prepared this week with a couple of gels and Gatorade. Another change this week was addition of my mp3 player. Thinking through last week's run, I knew it would be tough to run through 3 repeats of Sports Center without a buddy to talk to.

After last week's 5 am start, 6 seemed almost like sleeping in. I pulled into the gym parking lot a few minutes after 6 and was on the 'mill around 6:20. Music going and the 'mill going at 5.7, I was off and running. Still concentrating on endurance and using 2.62 miles as my benchmark (10% of the full marathon), I cruised through that mark in about 27 minutes, still going strong. Next stop 5k, my longest to date. Done and feeling fine. Without drawing this out too long, I ran, non-stop, for ONE HOUR. Sixty minutes and 5.6 miles until the treadmill took a break at the 1 hour mark. Time for a gel break and a water refill.

From that point, I walked about 1/10 of a mile per mile and was feeling great up to about 10 miles, where the excitement about feeling great and my legs were starting to part company. Through 10 miles, I was able to maintain a sub-11 minute pace. Mile 11 was a bit slower, but at the 2 hour mark, I was slower but not speedy, maybe 12 minutes. Time for gel and water break #2.

The next few miles were really a struggle. At points, I was walking almost as much as running, but I was driven by the possibility of breaking 148 minutes for 13.1. Why 148 minutes? Well at 2:28 pace would represent a 40 minute pickup from the Philly half from September. And that I did. Sometime in the 148th minute, the odometer hit 13.10. Will I be able to replicate this next week? Don't know, but I'm sure to make progress weather and health permitting. The last mile was pure effort being close to the end. If the goal were 16 miles, no way would I have made it, but getting to the 13.1 left me close enough to 14 that I knew I'd get there if I had to walk the remaining 9/10 mile.

As the timer hit 160 minutes, I hit 14 miles and had completed my mission. Final pace of 11:26/mile, just a second or two off of last weeks 12 1/2 miler. As I stepped off of the treadmill, the pain started to set in immediately. Mostly my calves and the back of my upper legs. And my feet. Ankles, too. Oh, right, also my toes. . . and even my toe nails. A "quick" shower was not in the cards. A really slow one was. I don't know how long it took me to do my business and get out of the gym, but it seemed like forever.

I know there are things I could have done to alleviate the pain -- stretching comes to mind (and was highly recommended by Dave and then Deb, then by Deb again. Then, later on she said "I can't believe you didn't stretch." Then she said it again. And again. And maybe again. You get the point.) An hour of icing and a half bottle of ibuprofen did it's work and by late afternoon, I was moving a bit less gingerly.

Today, I can hardly tell I did 14 miles yesterday. Dave also suggested that I not do any activity until at least Tuesday. Sorry, buddy, not gonna happen. Spin and short run on tap tomorrow.

Just one week till the B&A and I'm ready to go!

L'Chaim!