10.26.08

Today went pretty well. I made it out to Ball Camp Park just after 4 which was nice. I was planning a 2 hour 30 minute run for today (if i could manage it) so that would still leave me with some time before the sun set completely. The run started off okay. The legs were still not recovered from the Thurs/Fri runs and so there wasn't that fresh feeling that I usually get at the beginning of a run. All the same I was kind of trying to figure out where I was going to run as I moved along the traffic. I ran my normal hilly middlebrook, with the big uphill right at the first mile. Then I turned down Cedar bluff and into the hilly subdivision. Actually there are just hills everywhere for these long runs. But today I sort of messed it up even worse for myself.

After I made it through the subdivision I turned back for water/food. I brought a snack along with me and that worked really well. Although there was hardly enough room for my snack and my car unlocker in the keypocket in my shorts. I took some laraba bar, not the whole thing, but I cut a portion of it off and wrapped it in clear wrap. It worked no problem. So I ate that before I got back to the car for my gatorade. I'm getting used to eating now and although I had to make a lap around the little track I had it pretty much gone. So I made another lap with my bottle. I wouldn't say I've been to particular about drinking a certain way because I don't know how race day will unfold. But for now I'll just stick to gatorade and my cup with a lid that has a little opening you can pop open. It works nice because theres really no chance of spilling any on yourself. Ideally I'd want April to hand my one on race day, but I think that's a bit much. Probably better to just take powerade even though I think it's gross and has an aftertaste.

So at that point I was just over halfway 1 hour and 15 minutes. The legs were still dragging a little and that worried me. Otherwise I was feeling pretty good. So I decided to start back on middlebrook - you guessed it - the big hill right from the start pretty much put me over the edge. So already I had about an hour and half left and my legs are starting to really wear down. This time I went straight across the crazy road and headed toward the wiegels at the end of the road. I felt good going down and it was fun to watch my shadow running along with me. This part of the course is rolling hills, but there is a pretty good 150-200 meter downhill just before the Weigels. So running back up that wasn't much fun at all. The good thing was I was closing on two hours and that kept me going.

Slowly, but with every step I started to feel my legs grow more fatigued. They were just getting beat up from the huge hills I was going up. Breathing wise I was doing pretty good. At Aubreys there is only 5-10 minutes left until the park. But the bad part is that there is also another long incline. It's funny because it's the other side of the first hill you go up on this course. So you go up a steep incline, the down the otherside on a steep decline. So I was now going up this thing for the second time, fourth if you count going up the other side. Bah you just can't get away from it. It was here that I S L O W E D down. I was just hoping to finish the run at this point. Legs were burning, but mostly the hams. They felt like they got hit 20 times each with a baseball bat.

So I struggled along but still maintained somehow. I was going slower than I wanted, but I was still moving along well. The lungs were finally starting to work hard, and I focused on breathing deep. Soon enough I was back across the road and into the park for a final lap to the back of the baseball fields and then home to my car. I was happy to get some water as I was dehydrated. I forgot to drink extra water this morning so it was just bad planning on my part for that.

At a few miles in I had a side stitch. It was hurting pretty good just under my rib cage. Eventually it went away, but when you're running it feels like forever. The other thing was that the ball of my left foot is callused. My shoes are pretty worn down --see mileage-- and so that part of my shoe is pretty much paper thin. My reasoning for wearing them is that what better to run barefoot than to slowly let your shoes disentegrate. Its really working and there are callus forming and hardening. But unfortunately the side effect is that the calluses are painful. They get squashed between the bone and the pavement, kind of like having a rock under the ball of your foot - yeah not exactly the best feeling ever. All the same I think I will just wear these shoes on easy days and alternate with my more cushioned moire or my other grey free's for longer days as it only hurt from time to time. And in the end I want as many calluses as I can get, because otherwise there would be a blister there.

So yeah today was just a big long fat friggin hill workout if you ask me. But I was thinking about the marathon course I'll be running and it's no walk in the park either so I guess it's appropriate when you take that into consideration. Other than the beating to my legs I think the run went well. Next time I'll stick more to the back soccerfields though - flat and soft.

Ah. I almost freakin' forgot. As I was trucking down the other side of Aubrey Hill with just 15 minutes left in my long run a truck comes out of the fancy apartments there. It pulls up to the sidewalk and stops. I had seen it coming and by the time it was to the sidewalk (attached to the road) I was in front of the truck running by. The freaking guy almost pulls out and hits me!!! WHAT THE CRAP? THEN, to my surprise he peels out and honks his horn like I was the one who didn't look both ways.

Now, I'm a relatively calm person. A nice person most might say, but I couldn't help it and yelled YOU'RE THE DRIVER. LOOK BOTH WAYS IDIOT! and then I gave him the no look bird as I ran away from the scene. I can't say I've given many people the bird in my entire life, but it was a simple gut reflex action that I didn't even think about, so the guy must have deserved it. So what do you think? My fault, or his? I dunno maybe it was me, but considering I was RIGHT IN FRONT HIM, you think he might have seen me, plus I'd been running for 2hrs 15 minutes, when you're that close to the end of a long, the last thing you want to do is slam on the brakes (possibly injuring yourself at the pace I was going) stop for a truck, and then wave and say "have a nice day" and then gradually get your pace back up to speed. okay, end rant.

4:05pm. ball camp to pilot+ball camp to weigels. 65 degrees decent wind.
2:30:30, bf 658