Monday, February 26, 2007

Long run report

Yesterday's 14-miler was one of those times when I feel especially hardcore. I started around 2 p.m.; it was cloudy, 47 degrees, and windy. I knew spotty showers were likely for the day, but I wasn't that worried about getting cold, since it was well over 40. I wore shorts and a thin tech pull-over on top of a tech tee. I felt very comfortable; one more layer at that point would have been too much.

About five miles into the run, it started to rain. It also started to get much colder. I was seriously wishing for a pair of gloves and a waterproof jacket by mile 6. Still, I only had one mile to go until the turnaround, so I kept on. I didn't want to have to cut it short. I found out later that the temperature dropped about ten degrees in the course of my run; way too cold for the amount of clothing I was wearing! If only I'd gotten going earlier! Anyway, the last half of the run was a real struggle. If I'd had my cell phone with me, I probably would've called Mark to come and get me. I thought seriously about flagging down a fellow runner and asking for a ride (I was on the Clear Creek Trail, where many come and park their cars in order to run). It poured rain for about a half hour only, but it was plenty to soak through my clothes and shoes. The rain stopped again when I about four and a half miles away from home. All I could think about by this time was how good some hot chocolate was going to taste and feel. But I kept plugging on and finally made it back home, where I curled myself around the space heater with a blanket and practically chugged that hot chocolate.

Whew! Kind of idiotic of me not to check the weather more closely before leaving for a two-hour plus run, but, oh well. The run itself felt pretty good and I am minimally sore today. I couldn't bring myself to take an ice bath (go figure). I don't think that will really be an issue until the long runs reach 17 or 18 miles, but I am going to try and incorporate them earlier this time around to see if that helps with training in general. Now I just have to get caught up on my long runs. I can get back on schedule if I run 16 miles next week, then take a cutback week, then go 18 and 20 the next two weeks. Thereafter I'll go back to one week long, one cutback. Hopefully this will go well.

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