Today was long run. 2:15. Last long run I took two small flasks of water with Nuun in them, and that wasn't really quite enough. So I set up our front patio as an "aid station". I left a bottle of plain water, a bottle of Nuun water, and 2 gels. Then at the end of each 5K look I grabbed something and walked in a circle around the patio while drinking or slurpling the gel. Only had one, a Hammer Raspberry. Not bad.
First loop. 36:30 121 avg heart rate. Easy start, walking a bit first, then starting the clock. Lots of it felt clunky and heavy. Tried to run easy and light.
Second loop. 34:50 127 avg heart rate. Pushed a little harder, but trying to run smooth rather than trying to run faster. Mostly it was better than lap 1, but it still wasn't my normal pace. Feet are feeling heavy. Wheels started to come off near the end. Normally I'm pretty comfortable running at this pace. This is the pace I'd love to run Ironman at.
Third loop. 36:23 129 avg heart rate. The toughest lap. Wheels off the wagon, struggling to stay running, feet and legs very heavy. Pictured coach's disappointed look if I had to tell her I bailed, and that kept me going. Worked hard keeping the arms going, which helped keep the legs going.
Fourth loop. 27:16 128 avg heart rate. A short lap, maybe 3.5 or 4 K max. I knew there was no way I'd get 5 K done near the cut off time, and I wasn't running a second past 2:15. Nor did I want to have to walk too far for cool down. I wanted to walk a bit, get a drink, then walk more. The first part of this was ok again, with a good stride, but the last 15 minutes was brutal. I stumbled over sidewalk slabs twice because I wasn't picking my feet up enough.
Walked about 10 minutes after, with some good stretching. Feet are tired, but no blisters so far. It felt very good just standing on the cool concrete basement floor. Even though there was a thunderstorm warning, all we got was a very light, short rain shower. The rest of the run was sunny, warm, and muggy - by Calgary standards. Some people who read this blog would be turning off the air conditioning, happy they could save a bit of money, if this was happening where they were.
nope. AC still on. I am a suck.
ReplyDeletehammer gels are my favorite food right now. chocolate, raspberry and apple cin are the top 3 - in that order.
ReplyDeletekeep pushing! hey, if it was easy everyone would do it. :-)
Way to gut it out and run for the whole 2:15. Have you tried fig newmans (like fig newtons only organic)? I like them better than gel b/c they're actually food but they're ez on your stomach too. Just a thought.
ReplyDeletePS- haven't tried golf but now I'm intreguied by your friend...might have to try it soon and report back.
Good for you for hanging in there and doing the whole run even when you were stumbling near the end! THAT is the stuff Ironman is all about. You have this buddy. :) :)
ReplyDeleteAgree with Julie. And I love that you were picturing the disappointmnet in your coache's face if you had to tell her you stopped. Good tactic!
ReplyDeleteYou have a really low HR (something I've noticed over several posts). Just curious, what's your resting HR? Or perhaps we Americans measure HR differently too?! ha ha ha ha ha.