Sunday, October 24, 2004

Long run #3: Don't look at watch...look at what's inside!

Today’s long run, about 19.5-20 miles (total amount of running, approx. 3:20). This was the same course as the previous long run, except that this time I made it to the Green Lane Bridge in Manayunk, whereas last time, I had to turn around at Cotton Street. Got to Dave in Manayunk sooner than I had previously (2:00 as opposed to 2:04). Dave added 8x100m strides at the end. No mercy! But it surprised me that they actually helped me work the tight spots out of my legs. Hard to believe! Neil came with me on this run, and was leery about doing the strides but said he too was surprised that they actually seemed to help.

These long runs hurt though! Fortunately, this one hurt a lot less than the first one (that I did by myself). As with the one two weeks ago, this too involved starting at aerobic pace for the first hour, then picking up to marathon goal pace, then to 10k pace in the last three miles. Well, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. What it was for me: easy for first hour…check! Pick up a bit after that...check!—but still over 10mpm…. But the 10k pace for the last 3 miles--well, not quite. What I did manage to do was simply to intensify the effort to keep the wheels from coming off. My time was close to 11 mpm by the last 3 miles, but I was not stopping, which I was tempted to do. Probably by myself I’d have been reduced to walking and whimpering and limping. But with people waiting…and Dave having a bunch of strides planned, I had to keep going. This is where the graduated effort makes so much sense: in the solo long run, I started out a little faster and was, in fact, walking and slogging, limping and whimpering. The way Dave arranged this run, it's subdivided into sections with each section having a new goal, something that forces a person to focus, not fall apart when the going gets harder.

I wanted to run the last three miles in under 30 minutes, but couldn't bring myself to look at my watch. I didn't get the feeling it would tell me anything but "you're seriously slowing down!" "Look inside yourself, not at your watch," I told myself. Sometimes thought I could feel my dad’s presence, his urging me on.

* * *

Stray thought: not really connected with running but intriguing anyway: cosmonauts return to earth from International Space Station, having been away since April. The first thing they say they notice is the smell of grass. Something to think about--touching ground. Smelling grass. Flying to dizzying heights, they return to the smell of grass...and childhood. Maybe it's a human need...the smell of grass. Laid on the grass wincing while Dave helped me stretch my hamstrings. It begins and ends on the grass--and in between comes the flying. But not without the smell of grass.

posted by DPMcManus @ 11:34 AM

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