I ran my 18-miler yesterday which ended up being significantly more difficult than my 16-miler from a week or so earlier. This was hilly (unlike the New Orleans marathon will be) and it was an out-and-back which means that no matter how tired I was, I had to finish it.I only stopped to talk three times for about a minute each, so I felt good about my stamina. Health-wise, I'm good. Knee-wise, well, less so. My knees were really killing me the entire time and are still hurting today. I feel like an old man hobbling up and down the steps.
The good news? My 18 miles took only 9 minutes longer than my 16-miler which is a good sign. Again, my stupid iPod Nike+ thing isn't working like it should and only showed 16 miles, though I mapped out the run in my car and on mapmyrun.com before hand. I don't want to be rash, but I think my iPod and I might be breaking up soon. I didn't want it to get to this point, but I think we've seen better days. I'm thinking about cheating on her with a Garmin.
Anyway, now all I have left to do is the 20-miler which will be my last long run before the marathon--less than a month away.
The other good news? I'm within 2,200 calories of hitting 100,000 calories burned since May. That is quite an accomplishment and I'll be sure to celebrate by eating two large pizzas by myself. Ok, maybe a piece of fish and vegetables.
3 comments:
Well done - and as for the knees - I'm with you on this one I'm afraid.. That Nike+ she's a fickle mistress I'm afraid. At the moment I think she's being too generous to me - I don't trust her..
Good job on the 18-miler. Ice water or just cold water baths after your long runs should help with post-run soreness. Note that a flat course can be quite difficult for someone who's used to running on hills so if you can, try to train on flat terrain as well so you get used to using the same muscles all the time. And be prepared for warm weather. When I ran Mardi Gras back in 2005, it was probably about 60-70 deg and pretty humid, fine for someone coming from FL, but way too warm for a lot of other folks.
Good luck!
Oh, forgot one more thing ... if it is a warm race day, bring along an extra gel or two. Most folks know to drink more, esp. sports drinks for the electrolytes, but don't often adjust their pace accordingly and will hit the wall sooner. Extra gels will help.
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