I had a lot going on this past week, and it affected my weekend long run. I had the option of running with Brandon Hillis Saturday morning but was afraid I'd be cranky and miserable later that day so I declined. Since I had a late Saturday night, I'd have to do my run mid-morning Sunday. Eggers hates running in the morning, which I find odd since all the races are in the morning; nevertheless, I'd have to do my longest run ever by myself.
I was going to run this course and this course back-to-back and would have to add another 0.3 miles to make it an even 20. Those courses have odd mileage because in previous excursions I have just let the legs explore and mapped the route afterward. This would all be much easier if I had a GPS watch, but I'm still undecided about that potential purchase. Between the two runs I would take on gel and water.
I was capping a week in which I had already run 40 miles, worked my tail off, and gone out several times, so I was a little tired, to say the least. I limped up Randolph Road before my legs obediently fell into stride and started to feel better. I hadn't thought about it but I soon realized that I had chosen a very hilly route for a 20-mile run. No matter; I felt fine and enjoyed the scenery as I wound through the affluent Myers Park neighborhoods and past the country club. I made my way toward Freedom Park and, other than having a confrontation with a motorist who ran a stop sign and almost hit me, I was enjoying myself.
Back at home, I quickly took some gel and water and ditched my shirt. I wrapped another gel packet up in a paper towel and affixed it inside my shorts before setting off to run the final 10-plus. About a mile down the road I realized the whole gel-in-the-shorts idea just wasn't going to work, and so after a few awkward moments I decided I'd just have to carry the damn stuff. My stomach bothered me some after taking the second gel packet, which is what I had been told would happen, and I had to stop for a bit at Freedom Park. (What? Is that "too much information"? This is a running blog. -It happens. Literally.) The idea behind training with the stuff is so I'll get used to it and it won't bother me on race day. I think this paragraph is a nice way of explaining that distance running can be a little uncomfortable sometimes....
Anyway, this little 10.4-mile beauty is one of my favorite runs, as it traverses through some lovely neighborhoods in addition to the park, which is always buzzing on sunny Sunday afternoons, and then down the new part of the Little Sugar Creek greenway. So the scenery made the miles a little easier. What made everything harder was having to basically run circles around my building when I got home in order to hit the 20-mile mark. I had still felt great with less than a mile to go but hit a wall shortly thereafter.
All things considered - and there were a lot of things to consider - I think this was a very solid run. One must have a good bit of mental toughness to do twenty miles alone, or so I'm told. I enjoyed it. (Well, most of it, at least.)
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