some runs are better then others

Well after a great 20 mile run with Aimee the previous week I was looking forward to another great 20 mile run, but things happen….

Thanks to day light savings time my desire to be on the road for 7:00 AM, I had to wake up at 4:30 AM which was 3:30 AM. I had my normal pre long run breakfast and I thought everything was fine and headed out. I changed up my route this week to start at Plumbers Landing and run up to Quaker then School then to Grafton and up Ferry to Hill then DOWN Sutton Street which is a 2 mile decent to build my quads then 122 to Uxbridge and then back to Northbridge via the golf course to Main street and finish with a ½ hill climb and then back down.

I just couldn’t get into the 10:30 per mile pace and stuck to the 11:00 per mile pace which frustrated me. It wasn’t because of a high HR or fatigue I just couldn’t settle into that pace on all the ups and down. I also started running into stomach issues at mile 2, 7 and 9. Since I changed my diet on the days before and the day of the long runs I have been fine so this was really frustrating and just mentally beat me up. I refused to quit and got to the top of Main Street and decide 18 was enough for the day and to skip the last hill part and of course this 2 mile shortage is still eating at me. Overall I had a good week with close to 40 miles.

I am looking forward to this week since it is my pullback week. I will still do my four 5 mile runs but one of them will be a 4 mile race on Saturday and Sunday’s long run will be 15. I want to get quality runs in this week with control of the target pace. I need to get ready for the final two long runs of over 20 miles that take place 3/21 and 3/28.

This week I went into Boston to the BAA Charity seminar and it was very informative. I cam away with the understanding that I need to “PACE not RACE” Boston and that this will be the event of a life time. I am also thinking that the amount of time needed to train for a marathon might limit me to one a year and then run some half marathons in addition to the one marathon. It isn’t that I don’t have time it is that my family doesn’t have time and I need to keep there needs in mind.

On a funny note I got home yesterday to find my son lounging around relaxing and when he asked how many miles I ran and I said 18 he immediately responded “I thought you were going to run 20”. And you wonder why the 18 bugged me all day….

This week I am just going to enjoy running my last few miles as a "thirty something" man...