by ·Comments Off on Longest of Long Runs

On all marathon training plans I’ve seen and have actually tried, there is always a peak long run which is typically two weeks from the marathon run. Today was the day—the longest of my long runs—around 20 miles!

With my hydration pack on my back, I set my pace to be a very easy one.  I felt sluggish.

At mile 10, I had to take a pit stop as my bladder was starting to affect my run; I could not avoid it like I have in the past.  Luckily there was a McDonalds on my route which allowed for it; and did it feel good.  I don’t feel as sluggish as before, but I didn’t feel as fast as before.

The next 10 miles was a struggle.  I started to feel my left ankle get sore.  This just reminded me to keep my running form and to minimize the pounding.  At 11 miles, I started to eat some gummy bears.  I ran out of the GNU gels a few weeks ago and didn’t get a chance to get more.  The gummy bears seemed to have provided me with the necessary energy past mile 15.

At mile 17 I ate my second pack of gummy bears.  I didn’t feel the onset of weakness at all—a good sign.

My running plan has me do 4 striders starting at about 3/4 of a mile from the finish.  With my feet already tired, I pushed to accelerate over a rough distance of 100 meters, then took a little 30-second jog.

My total running time was 3:45.  Hydration and energy were definitely not a factor in this run.  However, the soreness and the call of nature seemed to have contributed to it.

Anyway, I’m about 2 weeks from the main event.  I’m suppose to taper off on training from this point on to give my body a chance to heal and recover.

by ·Comments Off on Long Runs and the Call of Nature

Last Sunday I did my long run—about 18 miles worth.  Whew!!!  That was a long run.

Anyway, I am not really a fast runner, and from the time I left the house—about 7 am—to the time I finished, hours passed.  And on this particular run, I felt the call of nature.

Specifically, I ran this in about 3 hours and 10 minutes (3:10).  Here’s the kicker—at mile 6.5, I felt the call of nature—of type #1.  Since I typically clear myself before such a long run, I decided to just let this ride.  I knew that this was just a feeling, and I just had to hang in there.

So all the way through the run I had the urge to pee.  Unfortunately there were no convenient place to do this for the running route that I took.  On at least one occasion, I seriously thought about going into a bush and just doing it there.

But, I hung on to the finish.  Here’s the funny thing.  When I finished the run, I no longer had the urge to pee!

The moral of the story…

Sometimes when you feel like going, it probably doesn’t mean you have to go.  If you can hold it, just wait until the finish.  If, however, you feel like you are bursting at the seams, by all means find a convenient spot to deliver.