10/18 - Almost Road Kill Long Run

22.16 miles in 3:38:41 (9:52/mile)

After torturing everyone as the marathon mama describes ever so eloquently here , I was able to get on the road by 5:50, at a brisk 47 degrees, for a run that has alternately excited me and terrified me all week.

I've discovered rapidly that I really like running long. It's going to be a challenge dialing back my mileage later. Val has the idea, and it's not a bad one, that I should cut back my mileage to lose the last 5 - 10 pounds I want to since it's damn near impossible as hungry as I am at higher mileage. 47 miles this week, and I'm a friggin black hole. At least keeping track of things has helped me not GAIN weight.

First Lap: 0 to 6.18 miles (10:03 pace)
I've noticed that in the last week, that I'm actually hungry before I go to work, which I'm not normally. I was really hungry about the same spot on both of the first two laps, fortunately a GU seemed to knock it back for the most part

I knew when I went out it was going to be a slow run. IT did feel similar to the 18 miler so maybe I need to be up for an hour before I go out instead of just 30 minutes. This first lap seems to be tough too, I wonder if it's the early/no sun thing. Once the sun came up and I was on the second lap, I started to wake up and have more fun.

Second Lap: 6.19 miles to 12.5 (9:58 pace)

Almost road kill here. Driver was pulling and making a right out of an apartment complex onto 132nd, and never looked left. They just barreled up, and kept rolling, never stopped. Val was like " you saw them and you kept running?" No not really, I was committed, about 1.4 of the way into the entrance when they pulled up. next thing I know I'm in that weird snapshots mode that I get when it get's exciting (anyone else) felt my palm slap the hood, looked up, saw them looking left, heard and felt the drum flex of the hood, realized they're still rolling, fast feet, fast feet around the front left corner of the car, push off the hood, and still up and running. Look back and they're out in the street, MAYBE looking back to see me, maybe just finishing merging. Certainly not a wave, finger, or shout to check on me.

Realized shortly after the incident that a 22 miler is a 6 GU run, not 5, which is what I brought, because it's what I had (Really need to start buying these things in bulk.)(Really need to try the Chocolate Mint flavor...). Decided to stretch the last two GUs I had. Instead of taking one at 11 miles or so I took it at around mile 15, and then the last one at 20, just as I started the last half lap.

Pit stop back at the house and bottle refill was a welcome break, but super quick. Managed not to wake anyone, people or dog up. :)

Third Lap: 12.5 to 18.88 (9:41 pace)

This unwitting GU experiment confirms that my fueling plan is working. The extra time between GUs made a huge difference. I could feel my legs falling off, and just having the glycogen sucked right out of them . Finally took the GU and a few minutes later, I'm almost back to normal.

This was a long lap because of the crumbling legs, but the snappiest loop of the three full loops.
Briefly considered running 4 laps on one of the two (three?) last long runs. This comes back to the liking to run long, I guess. Also thought about the mile/km per year run on your birthday thing. Not sure I'm going to be up for 36 miles in March, so it may be 36K instead. :) I'll probably do these things, un like some other things I thought I would do as a teenager, so I don't feel too bad that by the time I got back I was saying' Are you effing crazy?" (Next day I'm back to thinking about them again. :))(Also considering a 50 miler sometime in the next couple of years. B has turned me to the dark side.) When I told Val, that I could see a 50 (10 hours or less hopefully...just a day.... :)) and not 100 miles. She just chuckled and said. "Sure, till you run the 50 miler." :)

Fourth (Half Lap): (9:38 pace)

Thought really hard here that maybe Laura's <http://absolutlyfit.blogspot.com/> method of just racing to train would be less painful than this constant training thing. :) The anticipation is starting to kill me, and I've got 2 more 22 milers to go (with a fallback week tucked between them) and then taper. Good effing pumpkins, can't I just run the damn thing?!

The last round up the hill was a little ugly, but that was the point of doing the route this way. It put the mile long hill up 100th at mile 19.5 just like the Marathon. Good green army training as they say. :)

Added some extra at the end because I really wanted to say I ran 22, not I ran 'just under 22'.

Went to a corn maze and fall festival after the run, also mowed the lawn and weeded. I suppose this is the point of this fitness stuff. Go do it and be able to drive on. I would like some lay on the couch sympathy though. :) Val promises some after the marathon. I'll believe it when I see it. :)

Realized recently that I'm not exactly working on internet time here... More like two-year-old time. If I normally comment on your Blog, or did a few months ago, and you still read, here, I'll get to you. :)