With just shy of six weeks to go before the Silver Comet Marathon, I made myself get out and attempt my long run this morning. I had 15.5 miles on the schedule, and my last double-digit mileage run was on August 6. Time has gotten entirely away from me. I knew that I was behind, but it was hard to believe how much time has passed between double-digit runs until I looked at my calendar today. YIKES.
I didn't start my run until 8:30 am, which is a huge mistake because it's already hot outside at that time.
So, I called the run at 11 miles and decided I'd catch the remaining mileage either tonight or tomorrow morning. I was not expecting to get out and break any records today, as I have a good understanding of my body, how it works when I take too much time away from running, and how it responds to training in the heat, but this performance was nonetheless a bit of a shock. I've built in time for exercise (of varying intensity) every day this week and will take a complete rest day on Saturday before next week's long run on Sunday.
There's definitely plenty of time to salvage this marathon and meet my goals, but I have to stay focused.
Something that made today great: RAD simulation was awesome!
Time I woke up: 8:10 am
Since I have big goals and aspirations to break my PR (and not get cut off), I need to be taking my training seriously. So, that started again today. I didn't make the full 15.5 miles for several reasons, including:
- I knew I was going to run out of fluids, so I went back early. I ran out just as I turned onto my street.
- My pace was dropping, and I had to be showered, dressed, and on campus by 1:00 pm.
- My heart rate was up, and I could not get it down. (This really dropped my pace!)
For comparison, here's my heart rate (HR) chart from August 6 (top) and today (bottom). I walk/run, so the drops are happening during my walk breaks. On August 6, my average HR was 149 beats per minute, which is pretty standard for me on a long run. Today, the average was 159 beats per minute but only thanks to lots of walking starting around 7.5 miles. I started an hour earlier on August 6, but I was also training regularly then.
So, I called the run at 11 miles and decided I'd catch the remaining mileage either tonight or tomorrow morning. I was not expecting to get out and break any records today, as I have a good understanding of my body, how it works when I take too much time away from running, and how it responds to training in the heat, but this performance was nonetheless a bit of a shock. I've built in time for exercise (of varying intensity) every day this week and will take a complete rest day on Saturday before next week's long run on Sunday.
There's definitely plenty of time to salvage this marathon and meet my goals, but I have to stay focused.
Something that made today great: RAD simulation was awesome!
Time I woke up: 8:10 am
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