Run Training 02-17008
I felt pretty much felt like crap today; I had planned a 12-mile run for today. When I checked the weather, it was 30 degrees in Portland. I felt great for the first mile, and then my right calf cramped. Perfect; one mile in and my leg cramps!!! But, I am used to pain and discomfort, so I continued on my journey.
Dang, it takes a long time to run 6 miles when you're only doing a 10min/mile pace! I finally made it to my planned 6-mile turnaround and took a break. It had taken me 0:58 to reach this point. I ate a Snickers bar, drank Gatorade and got ready to head home. I was hoping to make it back in roughly the same time, but I wasn't sure how I was going to manage. Mile 7 and 8 went fairly quick, although my hands were numb from the break and I had to stuff both hands in my arm pits to warm up. Kinda hard to run when you're hugging yourself?!
I felt okay on the return route, until I began to climb the I-5 bridge and my pace slowed considerably. I just kept pushing and looking at my watch; I really wanted to come close to returning home in the same 0:58 min. time period. I bike this route daily and it takes 10 minutes to ride it. I only had 20 minutes to cover the same ground on foot. As well, the last mile is a constant uphill, not excruciating, but it is still up.
As I reached downtown Vancouver, I had 10 minutes left to cover the last mile. After almost 2 hours of discomfort, I remembered my last tri and knew I could push for another 10 minutes. So I went nearly anaerobic and pushed all the way home. As I rounded the corner and had two blocks left, my watch displayed "0:57"; "I can do it," I thought to myself. I landed on the driveway of the house with a time of 59:30, only one and a half minutes slower than the first 6 miles! I hurt badly, hardly able to walk straight but very satisfied with what I was able to push through!
Keep Pushing,
Steven