It feels out there. I mean, it’s a major rush. I mean, it feels radical in kind of a tubular sort of way, but most of all, it feels out there.
Know what I mean? I ran 16 miles on Saturday (all at once!), my longest run ever, and get this, most of it (13 miles worth) was solo. And, as my five-year old likes to say, “it was awesome!”
Started at 6am at RunTex with the group, the weather cool and drizzly, the route Lake Austin Blvd, Exposition, 35th, Shoal Creek, turn around at Allandale. Gilbert set up water at 12th and Expo, but I breezed by and from there on I was running alone. Another water stop at 6 miles and 47:22 and Gilbert said, “you’re running too fast. You need to run with the group.” “Who am I going to run with?” There was no one around, in front or behind. Then he said, “Don’t you do Oklahoma! I know you’re thinking about it.” Uh, actually, not at all. Then, “you need to do a fast Marathon.” Who said anything about a Marathon?
I ended up running the 16 in 1h53m. 61 minutes out, 52 minutes back. That doesn’t seem right, but that’s what the map and my watch say. I never felt like I was running that fast. It was the easiest 16 miles I’ve ever done (haha), though I will admit I was running numb around mile 14. What’s weird is that when I started that morning I had no aches or soreness, which I always have, and when I finished I wasn’t ravenous or sore the rest of the day, which I usually am after long runs. Maybe it was the super-easy 4 miles I ran on Friday with Jess (she did 7 by the way). Could it be a real recovery run (even though I was pushing my five-year old in a stroller the whole way)?
That put me at 49 miles for the week, and I thought about just doing 1 on Sunday to call it an even fifty, but I rode my bike instead. And I felt great. Still no after effects?
Then Monday came. No firecracker crew and I bludgeoned my way through 7 miles alone on the trail, ignoring Ivi and all comers. Tuesday I lollygagged through three 2000s at Zilker. You know what that makes me? A lollygagger. Times were 7.28, 7.18, 7.26, my fastest ever, but I still felt worthless and weak, and Pete said, “you quit 10 yards short. If you do it in the workout you’ll do it in a race too.” Maybe, probably, I hope not. Today I squeezed out five. Again, lollygagger.
I’m running the Bun on Sunday. I’d like to bring the heat and announce my presence with authority, but you know what they say, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.
And remember, candlesticks always make a nice gift. Okay, let’s get two!
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Thanks for make sure all your fans know I ran 7. ;o) Of course, it was me that said you needed to label your runs with me as “super-easy,” but reading it makes it sound really lame. Ok, super-easy for you is fine b/c you are Flash.
April 12th, 2007 at 6:58 am[...] Recent runs: I managed sixteen miles on Saturday, and it was substantially more difficult than last time. It started out well enough with an easy pace and a couple of water stops over the first 8 miles. I never did get “in the groove” though and made the turn at 66 minutes with Lisa P. We really picked up immediately thereafter and did the next two in about 12:45. Slowed a bit the next few miles until I picked it up again on the hills of Exposition. I was cruising pretty well, running alone by this point, guessing I was around 6:20/6:30 pace. But it came crashing down on Lake Austin Blvd as I started getting pain in my hip flexor and, as they say in the biz, “G.I. issues”. I could have run through the pain, but the “issues” forced a pit stop at the Austin High tennis center. I limped the last two miles home in about 14 minutes for a 54 minute last half (not counting the pit stop of course). Total time for the 16 was right at 2 hours. [...]
May 29th, 2007 at 12:45 pm