Mother Nature just has to make things tougher for us. As I stepped out the door, all I hear is the sound of trees and leaves blowing. This can't be good. I went back in to check the forecast. 50 degrees with 30% chance of rain and wind from NNW at 15 mph gusting to 25 mph. As I drove to post (Ft Bragg) I could feel my jeep swerve a bit from the gust of wind. This long run is going to take a lot of effort. When I got to my usual starting location and shut off my jeep, it begins to pour. $h*t, just freakin perfect! Rain, wind, and the cold mixed together just don’t motivate me. After about 10 minutes of being a wuss, I toughed it out and headed for the long run. It stopped raining about a mile into my run. I wasn't all that soaked until some jackass drove right beside me into a huge puddle of water and gave me a cold shower. He probably meant it because he had a free lane he could have switched to. I was so close to giving him the finger.
Besides running into wind half the time, my run went very well. I was consistently running between 6:30 and 6:40 pace. I hit the first 10 miles in 1:06:48 (6:41 pace), then reached 20 miles in 2:12 flat (11-20 miles in 1:05:12 - 6:31 pace). I was feeling good and the legs seemed to find its rhythm. The 20 mile mark in the marathon is a crucial point in the race. I was visualizing finishing strong in Rocket City, so I decided to pick up the pace for the remaining 4 miles. I hit the last 4 miles in 24:38 (6:22, 6:11, 6:10, & 5:55). The legs felt good afterwards. Thinking about it, I could have easily run the last 2.2 miles at 6:30 pace and finish the marathon as a long run in a sub-2:51.
Here is a comparison of the same 24 mile run I did in January for the Austin Marathon.
1/22/06: 24 miles in 2:42:30 (6:46 pace)
11/12/06: 24 miles in 2:36:38 (6:32 pace)
Today's Run: 24 miles (2:36:38 - 6:32 pace)
Weekly Mileage: 90 miles (9 sessions)
4 comments:
Way to get out there in the poor conditions and get the job done. Nice paces as well, especially the last few. That's tough after twenty strong miles.
And where do you get the restraint to not flip that driver off?
All great stuff here, especially compared to the similar run for the last build (weather probably wasn't as bad last time either). Stay well.
Wayne, you call that, Army Training Sir? :-) i think you are GTG! Tough run with the weather; a definite confidence builder.
Nice comparison to the Austin build. BTW, is your training course there flat?
wayne, with the way your training is going, i think you should shoot for a 2:30 ... wow. great job, and also loved your report on the yassos. those can be tough.
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