We’re about a third of the way through February. It’s amazing to me just how fast race day is approaching. With just three weeks left, I’m putting a lot of energy into half-marathon training. This morning, I completed 18K. Unlike two weeks ago, I did this one using the 10 & 1 technique. I wanted to see how that affected how I felt at the end. For this run I carried along two gels and a cereal bar. I decided that I would take them at 45 minute intervals. I didn’t wake up early enough, unfortunately, so I didn’t have a chance to prepare a bowl of oatmeal pre-run. I managed to scrounge up a few pieces of toasted cake just as something light.
The weather was brilliant today. It wasn’t long before my jacket was unzipped. The only big complaint I had involving the weather was the fact that the heat was melting the snowbanks creating large puddles along the sidewalk. I ran through a few early on making my feet cold and wet for most of the run. I ended up running on the streets for long stretches just to get away from the water.
I was at the back of the pack today, but I wasn’t concerned because right from the start I decided that I would place more importance on my “comfort.” I didn’t want to push my heart rate so high that I’d crap out early on. I swear, the short minute walking intervals made a big difference. The breaks gave my body a chance to practice the process of making quick recoveries. That seems to be vital for me.
Somewhere in the last 4K or so I managed to pass some people in my group. My graphs tell me that I sped up a little bit in the last half hour of running. Maybe all of the sugars finally kicked in. I don’t know. Perhaps that’s a sign that I really need to wake up earlier to get some food into my system, just so that there are some carbs there to burn. Having 2 gels and a bar helped out. There wasn’t a point where I felt the “out of gas” type of fatigue that I’ve had in the past. I think I should swap the bar out for a third gel hit though. I have a 20K run coming up, so I can use that as a time to try that out.
I had to stop at a stop light with something under 2 kilometres left. While waiting I bent my left leg back in an attempt to stretch. I had to drop my leg right away though because I honestly felt like I was going to cramp if I held the stretch. As soon as the light turned, I started to cross, but was suddenly more aware of the tightness in my legs, and the friction my wet socks were generating. I started saying something out loud, with syllables only coming out with every step: I…bet..ter…stretch…when…I…get…back…to…store…or…else…I’ll…cramp…up. That felt like a long 2K. No kidding. It took me a good bit of stretching my hamstrings before I could bend my leg back without fear of cramping. If I actually got into my car without stretching, I’m sure that I would not have been able to get out–my legs would have locked. My feet weren’t in pain, but they were sore. I was kind of hobbling around, but that’s normal for me after my Sunday runs. Is that so bad?
Getting home, I didn’t deal with the bad headaches that I might have experienced during summer training. I wonder if my body has started getting used to things. Having just burned around 2300 calories I was half expecting to want to eat everything in sight. Instead, I got by with a couple of tortilla chips, two hard boiled eggs left over from my parents’ breakfast and a protein shake. I was good after that. I thought that because I was doing well I wouldn’t end up sleeping the afternoon away. Hah! I collapsed at 1 and slept until 5 or so. You know what? I don’t feel guilty at all. The long nap was glorious.
Three weeks left. I will continue to do my best.
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