Good Morning for a Long Run Afterall

It's just too bad I faded.

It started raining around 11PM last night and all I could do was pray that it would not be too nasty to run in the morning. My prayers were answered when I woke up at 6AM and saw a clear sky with only scattered clouds. The ground was wet and I could see the eucalyptus trees bending in the wind, but as I started out, I considered the weather to be just about perfect. It wasn't too chilly and with the sun just coming up it was quite beautiful.

I ran with my bota bottle as an experiment, and it worked okay for a slow, long run. I want it to nestle up right under my armpit, but it doesn't quite do that. So I'll have to work on it. But as far as a way to carry 30 ozs of water, it's much better than the backpack bladder.

I felt pretty good through 12 miles. I was running at around 8:00-8:15 miles in 3 mile stints, then taking a 60 second walk break for water. I took a little longer after 12 to remove my jacket. I was getting pretty sweaty and heated in the jacket, but taking it off exposed me to the chilly winds coming in off the coast. I was just getting exposed as I was coming out of the shadows of Fairbanks Ranch.

Crossing the river at Del Mar was a pain. There's no shoulder or path. Once on the north side, approaching Via de la Via, I cut through the horse park there and was beginning to feel the fatigue in the hip flexors/upper quads. Left ankle was a little bit tender, but not bad.

Running the gauntlet of traffic light crossings from just east of I-15 to the racetrack was a bother, though the rest periods at the intersections rejuvenated the legs. I felt great heading up the hill to 101, but once turning north and into the stiff wind, I was starting to count the miles.

I took an extended walk break between 14 and 15 to call Joan to see if they were on their way. We were supposed to meet at the Potato Shack, but the route I had taken was longer than planned and I was not going to make it. So we arranged to have them pick me up somewhere around Cardiff.

I wound up finishing only 16.2 as Joan and the kids caught up with me right at the San Elijo campgrounds. There was another mile and change to go to the Potato Shack, but I'd had enough.

I'm not sure what to make of the performance. The mile pace was pretty good and I was keeping HR between 140-150 most of the time. But I went downhill pretty fast between 12 and 16, which could be an indication of running out of fuel. I ran with no food and only ate a Power Bar for breakfast. (I figured I had so much to eat yesterday that my tank would be topped off.) Water wasn't a problem. Laboring into the wind was. A quicker than goal pace with fewer walk breaks was another contributor.

But my weekly mileage is back over 40 and (right now, anyway), and my ankle is doing okay. I'm at a critical point, I think. Need to check in with Mike and see what the plan is for the next 8 weeks...5 weeks until tapering. I admit it. I'm getting nervous.