This was an interesting day for me. Today my run was the farthest I’ve ever gone. With all of the half-marathon training I’ve done in the past two years, really the farthest I’ve gone is about 21-22 kilometres. Of course, with marathon training the expectation is to farther than that. This week is the first week that we’re scheduled to go over, so this was entirely new for me. I was expecting to run on my own, but I kind of lucked out when someone decided that it was in her best interest to run with me. As you know, I tend to go at a slow but steady pace on Sundays. People who aren’t necessarily the slowest but tend to head out faster than they need to know that I can be counted on to keep them under control. At least, that’s the impression I get from the people I run with.
I brought along my Camelbak for the run. Yeah, that’s the water backpack that I had with me on the Scotiabank half last year. After that race I avoided using it for a long time. I was scared that I’d injure myself again. Well, especially with this rotten heat I decided that my need for water was too great to not use it. So, I’ve been making sure to secure the thing to my back as well as I can. So far, it hasn’t been bad, though today I ended up with a sore right shoulder. Better that than a sore lower back, I guess. I just need to adjust and adjust until I get it right.
Not sure I can say much about the run itself. Yes, it was hot out there, but the lack of humidity this morning made all the difference. I didn’t really feel killer fatigue at any point. Sure, I started to get worried at 17K when fatigue was knocking on my door, but I just mentally dealt with it all and carried on. I was feeling strong enough at the end that I probably could have carried on a little farther if needed, but all the same, 23K was enough. I ran into some people in my class that finished ahead of me. They told me that it looked like I was relaxed and not that sweaty. Hah! Fooled them. I used some water to splash my face along the way to keep my temperature down. As well, right after the run I walked to the end of the parking lot and back to bring my heart rate down. Seemed to work, I guess.
So, next week the mileage will jump to 26K. I think I can tackle that without feeling overwhelmed. I just need to prepare well like I did this week. I can do this!
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