Week 4 (and some of 5)

I don't really remember the mid-week runs from last week. I ran the first one with Kira, which was nice because I never run/work-out with anyone. I'm kind of weird when it comes to running and exercising. I don't really care if I don't have any music or anything to watch. I don't care about the run being scenic or anything other than just ordinary streets. And I don't (for the most part) care about making the work-out a social thing, or need someone to motivate me to go out and exercise. Not to say that I'm opposed to doing those things altogether, it's just that I kind of like the exercise part itself, I don't really need to be distracted from the fact that I'm running, lifting heavy objects, or from the fact that my body is just plain old tired.

Quick note - Oh! This is something that's pretty cool. So...as far as listening to stuff while on the runs. I already knew that it was possible to download church talks from the internet, and then you can just import that file into ITunes and put it on your IPod. I was really interested, however, in getting audiobooks. I've been wanting to do that for the longest time, but audiobooks are really expensive. I was thinking that maybe I could just check them out from the public library and download them to my computer, and listen to them that way on my runs, but you can actually just download straight from the library's website! I was so excited about that. I would think that any big metropolitan area would provide a similar kind of service. So, competely free of charge, I can get a number of different audiobooks from the public library without even having to leave the comfort of home. How cool is that? The selection isn't huge, but there is a ton of classic literature that I know I'd never get to if I actually had to read them, but listening to them will be so easy. You should check out your own public library and see if that's possible.

Now I'm starting to remember the other runs...I didn't do the second 3 mile run because of the triathlon, and the 4 mile was no big deal. The long run for week 4 was a 9-mile run.

I'm finding that the further along I get in the training regimen, the more excited I'm feeling about the marathon in general. I feel more confident and I'm less and less intimidated by the prospect of 26.2. That alone is a huge relief. So with the long run this week, I wasn't at all dreading it like I was expecting. I think that is attributable to the fact that these runs are just things that I have to do. It feels like it's not even an option to miss the long runs, and even the short ones (unless I'm participating in a triathlon).

I wasn't able to get out in the morning, and frankly, I don't think I'm ever going to be able to do it unless the run is the marathon itself. It just gets to hot now to do them in the afternoon, and I can't get myself up early enough to get some food in me, have time to digest, and then get started before it gets too late in the day. So I started this run at six in the evening.

The temperature was perfect. I had eaten at 2pm, so I had a good amount of time to digest my food. Although I am finding now that I really don't do very well if I have food in my stomach. It has to be barely above nothing for it to feel okay. I was the same way in high school when we had soccer games. The only thing I'd have the day of a game would be cereal in the morning, and then a banana and a quart of orange juice, even when the games were at 7pm.

This time I was accompanied by my shuffle and that was awesome. I carried a bottle of gatorade on the run to stay hydrated, and then I had another one sitting at home for when I was done. 9 miles is easily the farthest that I have ever run, but I was really pleased that by the time I was done, I wasn't completely dead. I felt like I had enough energy to go a couple more, if I had to. I took a short walking break about halfway through, and it wasn't nearly as annoying carrying the bottle as I thought it was going to be. I do want to try out one of those belts that holds the liquids for you. I ran the 9.3 miles in 1:20. I feel like everytime I'm checking my finish time on these long runs, I'm going faster than I expect to be. Keeping up that pace will put me finishing the marathon probably right around 4 hours, factoring in the fact that I will be slowing as the run goes on. That feels pretty respectable.

When I finished, and the day following, I felt really encouraged by the whole experience. I felt really strong throughout the run, and my body wasn't completely worn out. That story changed, however, when I ran just 3 miles on Monday. I felt it the most in my shins. They were just completely fatigued, not like a shin splint kind of pain where it's right on the bone, but in the front part that kind of faces outward. I felt like I had to confine my strides, and keep them really short and choppy. It felt that way throughout the run, but felt more manageable toward the end. My overall pace was about the same as it always is, but it felt very uncomfortable for the duration of the run.

I felt like the pain I experienced in that short run was mostly due to the fact that I didn't have enough recovery time, and I think that was confirmed by my run last night. I did 5 miles, but didn't feel any of the pain that I experienced on Monday. I was feeling a little bit fatigued, especially toward the beginning of the run, but I kept up a torrid pace, for me at least. I finished the 5.4 miles in 41:37. I felt really good about that, keeping up an almost 8 mph pace. I ran that one better than I run most of the 3 mile runs. What was kind of weird about it was that I wasn't really trying to outrun my previous bests, but I just felt really strong especially from the middle to the end of the run.

I think one of the things that I've been doing really well, without really trying, is keeping up a good consistent pace. I don't start out flying, and then feel completely drained by the end of the run. If anything, I run the last 1/3-1/4 of the run faster than I run any other part of the...run. I need to find another word for that. That may mean that I don't start out strong enough if I have so much energy in reserve, but at the same time I don't feel like I'm ever short-changed with any of these runs. It kind of takes me a long time to warm-up, but once I get passed that point, then I can go strong. I think it takes me about 10-15 minutes to really get in my groove.

This week is a 3-5-3 with a long run of 10 miles. I'm still feeling good. This is a pretty boring running post, but I feel like I'm learning a lot about myself as a runner. The weird part? I'm really enjoying the runs. More than I thought I would. The three mile runs feel so short now, and actually kind of boring. I feel like at 5 miles or more is when I really appreciate the feel of the whole sport.