Snowy, sleety, rainy 2-hour jaunt this a.m. to commemorate Day 730 of my running streak.
If I wasn't such a slug, I'd go back through the records and chronicle all the ultras. And marathons. And the long runs. And the weeks where I've done three long ones in the same week. And four. And five.
There was a time when all that stuff mattered to me. A lot. Now, it's more about the actual running than about the record-keeping. It's more about me and my thoughts on a quiet country road under last week's gorgeous full moon at 4:09 a.m. on a Tuesday. Or about the flash of brilliant beauty when I saw a bald eagle in full flight on the Trayfoot Trail back in December. Or the complete feeling of solitude that washes over me somewhere in the middle of every 2-hour run. Well, check that, every 2-hour run except for that ridiculous one Carp, PJ, TJ and I did where the wind chill of -10F.
This streak is a lot different from the half-dozen others. Maybe it's cuz I'm older. Maybe it's cuz I'm not as fast. Or as competitive.
Or maybe just maybe it's cuz I don't need any of that. Maybe it's cuz I like it easy. Did I run today? Check. Is my brain in a better place cuz of it? Check. Am I ready for the day? Check check.
Craig is right. I am in hippie-out mode. Know what? Pretty darn cool place to be.
February 18, 2009
February 9, 2009
14 Rocks
Sunday was a 14-rock day. That's one rock for each 2.5-mile lap over at the Eastern Mennonite University campus. So that's 35 miles total. In 6:58:45. From 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A little gravel, some asphalt, about half of it concrete.
I figured I'd lose track as the mind has a tendency to wander on a loop, so I gathered 10 rocks from beside my driveway and put them in the bed of the Millennium Falcon. After each loop, I moved a rock. Once I got to 10, I piled all the rocks up again and started over. Very cool watching the line grow each time. Amazing how that kept me so scary focused. I almost even missed the hot chica in the black top who blew my doors off. Well, missed her the first time, anyway. ;-)
Nutrition lab: I knocked down 70 ozs. of green tea and 8 ozs. of Hammer Gel. It was warmish (50F at the start, 63F at the end), but a steady breeze kept me cool. Energy was steady. Brain was strong. Legs were just slightly pounded by the 3/4s mark, but rallied by the end. All in all, ranks right up there with the best really long training runs I have done. Period.
Only nutritional holes: No electrolytes. And no salt. Fixable. Easily fixable. Why focus on the holes? Um, maybe because of the little fainting spell about an hour or so after I finished. Yeah. Bit the living room carpet big time. No, nobody was home. Yeah, I woulda gotten a total a**-kickin' if they had been. Much less so when I confessed later. :)
Today, legs were fine. A gentle 20-minute run/walk got rid of any residual. Remarkable, these bodies of ours.
Hammer. A++. Green tea? Um, nice with dinner. On the run? Not so much maybe.
Changes: Gatorade Endurance. Lots of it during the waking hours. And any long run gets at least 20 ozs. of GE, the high-sodium one. And I'm hitting CVS before the week's out to score its OTC electrolyte tab that I once swore by back before I thought I was tough and knew everything.
Seven hours. 5 mph average. 14 rocks. One to remember.
I figured I'd lose track as the mind has a tendency to wander on a loop, so I gathered 10 rocks from beside my driveway and put them in the bed of the Millennium Falcon. After each loop, I moved a rock. Once I got to 10, I piled all the rocks up again and started over. Very cool watching the line grow each time. Amazing how that kept me so scary focused. I almost even missed the hot chica in the black top who blew my doors off. Well, missed her the first time, anyway. ;-)
Nutrition lab: I knocked down 70 ozs. of green tea and 8 ozs. of Hammer Gel. It was warmish (50F at the start, 63F at the end), but a steady breeze kept me cool. Energy was steady. Brain was strong. Legs were just slightly pounded by the 3/4s mark, but rallied by the end. All in all, ranks right up there with the best really long training runs I have done. Period.
Only nutritional holes: No electrolytes. And no salt. Fixable. Easily fixable. Why focus on the holes? Um, maybe because of the little fainting spell about an hour or so after I finished. Yeah. Bit the living room carpet big time. No, nobody was home. Yeah, I woulda gotten a total a**-kickin' if they had been. Much less so when I confessed later. :)
Today, legs were fine. A gentle 20-minute run/walk got rid of any residual. Remarkable, these bodies of ours.
Hammer. A++. Green tea? Um, nice with dinner. On the run? Not so much maybe.
Changes: Gatorade Endurance. Lots of it during the waking hours. And any long run gets at least 20 ozs. of GE, the high-sodium one. And I'm hitting CVS before the week's out to score its OTC electrolyte tab that I once swore by back before I thought I was tough and knew everything.
Seven hours. 5 mph average. 14 rocks. One to remember.
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