Week 12 - Long run
Today was one of the last big warmups to the marathon (which is now less than a month away), and did not go so great. The good news is that I ran 16 miles, the longest run of my training so far. The bad news is that I had planned (hoped, wanted) to run 20 miles.
I had all intentions to run 20 miles. I ran out 10 miles from my starting point before turning around. But on the way back, my legs just got more and more tired. Finally during mile 16, I realized that I just wasn't going to make it any further, even if that meant walking the last 4 miles back to my car. So that is what happened. I stopped running after 16 miles, just as my thighs felt like they each had daggers stuck in them.
As much as I wanted to just lay down and get off my legs, I had no desire to spend the rest of my Sunday in the park. So I journeyed on, trying to mix in the occasional jog (very occasional) to speed things up, only to be rewarded with more pain. Finally I made it back and was able to enjoy the feeling of sitting, which I had not felt in over 3 hours.
The 16 miles took me 2:24:06, exactly at 9:00/mi pace. Not bad, except for the fact that I was 10.2 miles short of marathon distance. So today seems to be the turning point in my training. Unable to achieve 20 miles, I'm realizing that I haven't trained as well as I should have. Unfortunately, I do not think there is time enough left to make up for that. I briefly thought of skipping the upcoming marathon altogether, but I know I can finish. The only question is how long. I'm no longer really shooting for that sub 4 hour marathon. Not this time. I didn't work hard enough for it. But I know I can finish the marathon, even if it takes me 6 hours.
So the new goal for next month's marathon....just finish.
Weekly Total: 25.5 miles
Yearly Total: 235.7 miles
I had all intentions to run 20 miles. I ran out 10 miles from my starting point before turning around. But on the way back, my legs just got more and more tired. Finally during mile 16, I realized that I just wasn't going to make it any further, even if that meant walking the last 4 miles back to my car. So that is what happened. I stopped running after 16 miles, just as my thighs felt like they each had daggers stuck in them.
As much as I wanted to just lay down and get off my legs, I had no desire to spend the rest of my Sunday in the park. So I journeyed on, trying to mix in the occasional jog (very occasional) to speed things up, only to be rewarded with more pain. Finally I made it back and was able to enjoy the feeling of sitting, which I had not felt in over 3 hours.
The 16 miles took me 2:24:06, exactly at 9:00/mi pace. Not bad, except for the fact that I was 10.2 miles short of marathon distance. So today seems to be the turning point in my training. Unable to achieve 20 miles, I'm realizing that I haven't trained as well as I should have. Unfortunately, I do not think there is time enough left to make up for that. I briefly thought of skipping the upcoming marathon altogether, but I know I can finish. The only question is how long. I'm no longer really shooting for that sub 4 hour marathon. Not this time. I didn't work hard enough for it. But I know I can finish the marathon, even if it takes me 6 hours.
So the new goal for next month's marathon....just finish.
Weekly Total: 25.5 miles
Yearly Total: 235.7 miles
posted by Brad at 6:12 PM
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