The Daily Log 11/9/08

Distance: 11.37 miles
Time: 1:47:10
Pace: 9:25/mile
Weight: 198lbs
Terrain: Flat
Temperature: Cold but calm
Gear: Under Armour winter running hoodie (removed after first mile), Adidas running fleece, Adidas long-sleeved Climacool Shirt, Adidas running shorts under Adidas long training pants, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Hydration: Water during run, Strawberry-Kiwi Vitamin Water for recovery
Fuel: None
Medical: None
Recovery: Stretches, ice, Aleve
Shoe Mile Count: 65.05 miles
Days until Marathon: 70

Ten weeks until marathon Sunday and my longest run yet. It will also be my longest run until the Half in two weeks; I'll only be running 8-9 miles next Sunday as part of a mini-taper for it.

I'm out of town in western KS this weekend, and although I'll be home tonight, I didn't want to run that long in the dark, so I got up very early and ran here. I picked a route covering an area I knew well, running three loops of a little under 4 miles each.

It was very cold but after the first mile I discarded my new winter running hoodie because I was just way too hot. Should come in handy as the temperature continues to drop though. I did keep the thinner Adidas fleece on for the whole run, though if I'd run much further I think I'd have removed this also.

I kept a very even pace for the first two laps, completing each in about 37 minutes. I then picked things up and ran the last loop in 33 to come in at just over 1:47, so a good time, but not so fast to where I overly stretched myself. Pretty satisfied with the effort level.

Nothing major in terms of injuries. My right shin was fine with just some very mild background soreness; if anything my left foot was the main area of concern starting out, but it too faded after the first few miles, and then it was just a question of keeping things ticking over as the miles passed.

The biggest scare was actually when I stumbled on a crack in the road at around mile 4. I was lucky first of all to keep my feet, and second of all to not pull every muscle in my legs as I tried to stay upright. My quads burned as it was happening and my left one hurt for about the next quarter of a mile, but it faded, to my relief. I was glad later that had happened at mile 4, not mile 10, when I'm sure my legs were weaker and probably more susceptible to injury.

Two new issues. One: full bladder... Note to self: When not running near home, make sure route goes by a gas station. Two: Sore nipples... It wasn't so much that they hurt really badly, but at around 10-11 miles, I started to become aware of them, so I'm sure it will be an issue for longer runs. Some extra body glide, and perhaps some bandaids might be called for. Weirdly, I was almost happy about the sore nipples. I'd read about them being a factor for marathon runners, but up until today had never run far enough for it to be an issue.

Yep, I'm running with the big boys now.