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June 14, 2008
joe positive's first long run of the year, by joe positive
Or: the Bonk That Took All Day.
According to Pfitzinger, long runs are longer than 18 miles. Before this morning, I hadn't run longer than 18 since, oh, before the Jacksonville Marathon last December. I did run that 18-mile Big Workout in March, but since it really put my hip flexor in the crapper for 3 weeks I don't really count it. Today I ran 19 miles, and according to Dror it was supposed to go
5 easy
5@7:50
5 easy
4@7:40
I didn't think it would be too hard - certainly not a walk in the park, but since "easy" was totally at my discretion I was sure I could save enough to do the brisker stuff.
Wrong. I started out with some friends who were only doing 13 miles, and soon we were trading stories about stupid things we did when we were young and stupid. Now old and stupid, I realized we were trotting along mostly between 8:00 and 8:15 pace, which felt fine, but I knew I'd regret it later.
Accompanying us for the first time was a strapping young man who decided that my pace plans suited his, at least for 13 miles. At the 5-mile mark, he and I put our 7:50 brains on and pulled away. For a few miles I wasn't quite comfortable so I let him pull me, and then as the sun came up I started feeling fine, and I pulled him. Around 9 miles we ran into a storm of insects - probably termites, which swarm at sunrise this time of year - and ended up with an inadvertent snack, ewww. Such was our zeal to finish this section strong and fast that we passed up several water fountains (something else I'd regret later). At the 10-mile mark, we slowed to a trot and attempted some conversation. I was really kind of self-conscious because I could've been this guy's mother, had I decided to have a child when I was a high-school senior. But he was unfazed - or at least very polite - at having an old-lady running partner. It turns out he just joined the running club I just joined, so we'll be seeing more of each other at track and such.
At 13 miles we parted company and I began to psyche up for the last hard section, but I was beginning to have doubts. The sun had fully risen and it was hot. I hadn't eaten much the day before and my stomach was kind of rumbly, and I was thirsty (bad sign). I was moseying along at 9min pace and couldn't imagine going much faster. But at 15 miles I dutifully started turning my legs over and managed to achieve...8:16, christ, this is no good. I resolved to keep trying until I reached a certain water fountain - that fountain, I knew, would give me enough refreshment to get me through to the end. I got to the fountain, went to take a drink and ZAP it bit me. Hmmm. Touched it again and ZAP again; it had a short somewhere. Shit. Thoroughly pissed off, I managed 8:05 for that mile, but from then on it was like a cartoon of someone chopping down a tree and yelling timberrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!! for a very long time. Low 8s gave way to high 8s, almost-9s and finally 9:22.
Yowza. I met a friend for coffee and a muffin, came home and read a bit, then crashed out hard. Woke up about 45 minutes later, tiny little muscles twitching in my legs, completely hollowed-out. I'd been dreaming about food. I lay in bed too crapped-out even to walk 10 feet to the kitchen. Finally I ate a sandwich and thus starts my recovery. It's going to take all day, I think.
Posted by joe positive at June 14, 2008 1:48 PM
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Comments
Tsk tsk....coffee and a muffin as your immediate recovery? I hope it was at least a peanut butter and jelly muffin. You know you need that magic 60/40 Carb/Protein fix after an endurance workout, within the first two hours ideally. No wonder you had such trouble getting out of bed! Okay, I'm done nagging...it's not like I haven't done exactly the same thing a million times.
Posted by: chelle at June 15, 2008 9:55 PM