The Daily Log 12/20/08

Distance: 18.11 miles
Time: 2:50:20
Pace: 9:24/mile
Weight: 195lbs
Terrain: Moderate rolling hills over first half, slightly more gentle rolling hills over second half
Temperature: Very cold and fairly windy
Gear: Adidas Running Fleece, Long-Sleeved Nike Shirt, Adidas Long Running Pants over Under Armour 'Compression Pants', Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes, Reebok Stocking Cap
Hydration: Water, Strawberry-Kiwi Vitamin Water, Acai-Blueberry-Pomegranate Vitamin Water
Fuel: Tri-Berry GU Energy Gel (During), Banana (Recovery)
Medical: None
Recovery: Stretches, ice, Aleve, menthol rub
Shoe Mile Count: 229.25 miles
Days until Marathon: 29

Who was it who said they liked hills again? Maybe they're fun on a 5 mile run on a perfect day, but they are energy sapping behemoths on an 18 mile long run in 20 degrees fahrenheit with the wind blowing in your face.

If you want to run successfully in the winter, you have to sort of become a weather tracker, and having reviewed the (admittedly not always accurate) forecasts for the weekend, I decided Saturday morning looked like the optimum time to avoid the worst of the cold and wind. Jury is still out as to whether I managed that, but even if I did, it was very cold and quite windy, and that and the aforementioned hills were without doubt the biggest challenges today.

The sidewalks were icy, so I had to stick to the roads, which were clear, more or less the entire time. This required an alertness to traffic throughout which precluded the possibility of wearing an ipod. I don't usually anyway, but on a run this long, with nothing going on around me, it would have been sort of nice to have some kind of distraction; it was as mentally draining to keep pounding away for almost 3 hours as it was physically exhausting.

I had a surprisingly comfortable run from an injury standpoint. A few minor niggles here and there, but nothing that stuck around too long and although I'm still in zombie-phase right now, I think I've made it through another long run without too much damage being done.

This was the first time I'd eaten anything during a run. GU is the energy gel that the marathon is providing, so I figured I would buy a couple of each of the flavors they have (vanilla and tri-berry), so I knew what to expect on January 18th. They have the consistency of a very sticky chocolate pudding, and quite frankly, taste like syrupy snot. The tri-berry is at least almost bearable if chased with a healthy gulp of water, and because it had been out in the cold by the time I ate it, it had hardened up, which made it slightly less gelatinous - a good thing. (The less said about the vanilla, which I tried the other day, the better). Flavor notwithstanding, I was amazed at how much it helped. I took it at around mile 13, and within half a mile I could feel a difference. While my legs were just as fatigued, I really did feel an energy boost and it gave me enough to get through the 18 without feeling like I was about to pass out.

My pace was respectable and consistent. Over a flat course in better weather, I think I'm probably capable of a little faster, but even if I run this exact pace, I'll come in at 4hrs5mins, which isn't too shabby for an old fatty like me.

As I looped back to the house at mile 17, I knew I just had one more mile loop to go, but the effects of the GU were wearing off and a small voice told me to stop right there, but an extra swig of Vitamin Water - without question my absolute favorite sports drink - gave me just enough to get back out and complete the last loop as a few flakes of snow started dancing in the wind.

Because I ran on Saturday, over the last 7 days, I've put 48 miles on my legs (plus I'm already over 100 for the month) which will likely make it the highest volume week of my entire training schedule. However, with a 20 mile run coming next weekend, I'm not exactly on the downhill just yet. After that, I might allow myself a small sigh of relief as I start tapering for the race, now less than a month away.

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