I was hoping to get out early this morning, but due to a little 4 week child of mine named Ava who decided to be mad at the world again I did not get out until 9:30 or so. Thank goodness the storms have passed as the weather was nice and cool for my first long run in quite some time.
This was my first time running double digits in about two months. For the first week of my marathon training(I know the title is stated as week 3 as I have trained for two weeks prior for preparing) I have felt pretty good.
I took off at a nice and easy pace. I actually felt good throughout the whole run. My joints(ankles and knees) started to hurt on mile 8, but my body and breathing felt really good. I ran at an 8:23 pace so I finished the run in 1:24.
I was working on hydrating every 10-15 minutes which is something I have never done before, but I keep reading about taking in small amounts of water and endurance type drinks frequently to prevent hitting a wall. Previously, I usually just ran and about 45 minutes took a GU and waited until I felt fatigued and would pop another with some water. Now, I am trying to work on becoming a smarter runner as I prepare for my first marathon.
One funny story today is while I was running there was a goose standing by the sidewalk. Usually they just sit there and don’t do much, but this one must have had a nest nearby because it hissed and started chasing me. I took off in a sprint. I was so scared because it was the last thing I was expecting. I can only imagine how I looked to all the cars driving by (I was on 53rd Street for those of you in the Quad Cities). I was running like a fool all in the grass for a good 5 seconds or so. When I was done being chased I calmed back down, but my mind played tricks on me and I thought I heard the goose again and took off and turned around to find nothing. I bet I looked so stupid!
I am writing this post a few hours after my run and I actually feel pretty good. Typically after a long run I am spent the rest of the day. Today, that is not the case. That is a good feeling. My calves are sore, but that is about it.
I am loving my Brooks Ravenna 2 Running Shoes. These feel so good and when I put my Asics on I can feel the difference. Nothing against Asics, but after 400 miles of wear and tear my Asics have been used up.
I also fell in love with a new flavor of GU. The pineapple flavor is a perfect summer flavor. I love the coffee and chocolate flavor when it is cold, but the pineapple one is the best. I have had this flavor for a while now, but always skipped over it in fear of a bad taste. I will be buying a box of 24 of these for sure.
What do you prefer during your runs?
I also continued to listen to the awesome podcast NPR: Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me.
I was able to listen to the two weeks prior to on this run and it really helped to pass the time. I am in desperate need of some more great podcasts to listen too. It is a nice change of pace to music to actually listen and learn a few things.
Tomorrow I have a nice easy 3 mile recovery run to put my mileage for the week in at around 25-26 miles with 8 miles on the bike. A great week for me.
As always, remember that you almost always feel better after a run than before it.
Keep your dreams and goals alive. See you tomorrow.
Leave a Reply