Long Run Done

As my training for the Lakefront Marathon continues, I completed a run of 20.6 miles this morning. Here's a mile-by-mile breakdown:

Mile #1 - 10:15
After a fair amount of stretching and a bit of walking, I began the run just after 5:30 a.m. During the first few miles, I could feel my body slowly warming up.

Mile #2 - 10:11
My training plan suggested that I finish this run about 90 seconds SLOWER than my planned marathon pace (tentatively set at 9:00 / mile), which means I should be doing this run at 10:30 / mile. I was going a bit faster than that -- still feeling great.

Mile #3 - 10:11
At about the 2.8 mile mark, I took my first walking break. The drink of choice was some freshly-mixed orange Gatorade.

Mile #4 - 10:08
Mile #5 - 9:59
By the end of mile #5, I was in a groove. My split times were gradually dropping, but I did not feel that I was expending any additional effort. Whenever I felt myself trying to speed up, I tried to think about conserving energy so that I would last the entire run.

Mile #6 - 9:55
Another walking break -- and more Gatorade.

Mile #7 - 10:12
Mile #8 - 9:39
Looking back, I'm not sure why there was such a big difference in these two lap times. It's possible that I was benefitting from a wind or that the forerunner wasn't perfectly accurate. In any case, I was still feeling pretty good, doing my best to save my energy. However, every lap is below the suggested 10:30 mark. Was I going too fast?

Mile #9 - 10:25
A slightly longer walking break this time -- because this break featured some raspberry-flavored Hammer Gel. I'm still getting used to ingesting gels during a run, so it took me a bit longer to get the pack open, drink enough water afterwards, etc. I was still way ahead of my desired pace and still feeling great.

Mile #10 - 9:36
Mile #11 - 9:53
Mile #12 - 10:16
Another three miles down, and I barely felt sore at all. My fourth walking break consisted of the rest of the raspberry gel pack and water.

Mile #13 - 9:52
Mile #14 - 9:54
I reached the half marathon at about 2:11:30. This is much slower than my PR of 1:56:25, but much faster than the target pace for this run (2:17:33).

Mile #15 - 10:10
My next walking break consisted of more gel -- orange flavor this time. As I chased the gel down with the recommended 3-4 ounces of water, I decided that raspberry is my preferred flavor. :)

Mile #16 - 9:54
With a mere four miles to go, I was still feeling okay. I felt an occasional dull pain in my left shoulder, which serves as a reminder to run with the correct posture. As soon as I improved my form, the pain went away. My legs were obviously feeling the effects of a long run, but they were not nearly as sore as they were a week ago at this point (when I finished a 19-miler).

Mile #17 - 9:43
Mile #18 - 9:57
My final walking break consisted of more Gatorade. As I set out to complete the remaining miles, I looked at my Garmin forerunner and noticed that I was significantly close to averaging 10:00 / mile for the entire run. I was feeling MUCH better than I was at the 18-mile mark last week. Dare I push the pace a little bit at the end of the run?

Mile #19 - 9:29
I endeavored to conserve energy as best I could for most of the run. But with only two miles to go, I was convinced that I had the energy to push it a little bit. Last week, I could feel myself slowing down significantly at mile #19. I didn't feel that at all this time. Perhaps it was my concerted effort to stay hydrated and energized. With a mile to go, I knew that I would be able to complete my run without do anything remotely close to crashing. Onward!

Mile #20 - 9:23
When I've been out running for more than three hours, a part of me wants the run to be over -- somewhat like a long car trip. I could have finished this mile much slower than 9:23, but I had the energy for it, and I was a bit eager to be done, so I kept up the pace. Of course, I was still some distance from home when I finished 20 miles. Should I walk the rest of the way?

Mile #21 (well, only .6 miles) - 5:52
I stepped into what some refer to as "sacred ground", but only a little bit. As I stopped the forerunner at 20.6 miles, I was thrilled to have finished a 20-miler. I'm fatigued, but feeling better than I ever have after a "major" long run (12+ miles).

Average: 9:56 / mile

Seven weeks until the marathon!