Long Run Tuesday: Doing it the UGLY way

Today was the first of three 20 mile runs. The marathon training program I use is heavy on the long runs but also good on the step back weeks.

Today was not the most pleasant run I've ever had. Here's how it went:

Last night: I mapped my route and decided where I would take food and water. This was a good step. It seems like food every 3-4 miles is working well for me. Although I wish I had a salty snack I could have towards the end of my run when I'm done with sugar but still need calories.

5:00am - Whatimizit? Whuzatnoize? Whahuh? Then I checked the weather to verify there was no rain and was greeted by the information that, although the rain had moved through, it was 86% humidity. At first I thought I'd just do a 6 miler today and the big one tomorrow and then, for some reason, I convinced myself that 'the humidity will burn off when the some comes up'. (Right.)

5:20am or so - I had my hard boiled egg, got my water and food all ready and headed out. Hello steam bath.

Starting off to Lake Nokomis (look at the map if you're not from here): Slow Down. I just wanted to move. I kept it nice and easy but it was hard because I WANTED TO GO. It's weird taking water and food at the lake. I do that so rarely. Usually if I'm doing a six or seven miler, I don't have anything with me.

Up one side of the river - it was just north of Lake Street that the trouble for the day really started. Kudos to the Minneapolis park board which puts extra, um, facilities out for runners in the summer. There was a well-stocked facility right where I needed it.

Across Franklin Ave and back down the other side of the river - things really got bad here. There are no, um, facilities on this side of the river. Luckily there is a railroad bridge with big pilings that provide shelter and privacy. All was well until I hit my head on a metal beam on the bridge while I was walking back to the running path. So then thoughts of tetanus and head wounds while running in the heat started going through my head. (In a comedy way, not in the OCD way.)

Still on the river, now moving up hill towards Summit - I'm trying to make peace with the fact that there's a rather large elevation change in this marathon. The river parkway from Lake Street north, across Franklin, and back south to Lake St is all what I would call a false flat. It looks flat until you try to run it and then it becomes clear there is an upward slope. Small, but even small things can hurt after running 20 miles.

Hills, Cretin and Summit - Well, this is going to hurt when it's at mile 20. That was actually about the time I overheated in earnest. Summit was uber-busy because St Thomas was having it's orientation. I did make it all the way up to Snelling, still running. It was on the way back to the river that I started walking. I re-filled my water bottles at a water fountain and had a little break. My digestive track was starting to rebel.

Moving south on the river towards Ford Pkwy - my stomach (and the rest of my digestive track) hates me. I started doing intervals of walking and running. I actually relaxed a while on the down hill and did a longer interval. Slowly.

Back into Minneapolis along the parkway - The feeling in my body brought new meaning to the phrase 'tight ass'. My hamstrings just totally tightened up and it was another kind of pain to move. I was still doing intervals into Minneapolis but around Nokomis Ave I got done. Just mentally done.

Around Lake Hiawatha and on the way home - I did a little run around Lake Hiawatha, even though mentally I wanted to be done running, and my hamstrings similarly were done. There's one hill between 19th and Cedar that's short but steep that I did run up. I'm learning to go up hills on my toes which is working pretty well. Nothing was helping at that point. After I got across Cedar, I really stopped running and started walking and stretching.

Home - thank goodness.

Thinking the humidity was going to burn off was a big fail. Learning to run in the heat was good. I've learned I need to hydrate better on hot runs and hydrate better the day before (even though I was really pretty good yesterday). I was trying to drink every two miles, which is fine on race day when it's 1o-15 degrees cooler than now, but today and for now, I need to drink every mile and refill my water bottles at water fountains along the way. Still to do is forgive myself for having a crappy, slow run. Also still to do is not panic about my pace (which was slower than I'll need to be on marathon day). I do have two more 20 milers and a few more not-quite-so-long runs. In addition to a new hydration plan, I need to have a new pre-run relaxation program. I was really nervous about today, especially the stretch between Franklin ave and Snelling ave, and as soon as I got done with that, I kind of lost it. Not what I want when I need to pay attention for 26.2 miles.

Ice bath - WIN.