Training for Le Grizz has reached its peak with two consecutive weeks of running four hours on Saturday, five on Sunday.
This past weekend was the first of these two, and it was grueling.
Though the training is for time, not mileage, I was hoping to complete at least marathon distance on Saturday’s run, and shoot for the same on Sunday.
Both runs began from the parking lot just south of the Widewater area of the C&O canal (mile marker 13). It’s flat, packed gravel, and beautiful scenery.
The weather this weekend was perfect for running. It was in the 60’s at the start of the run and low 80’s at the end. The only complaint I had was that it hasn’t rained in this area in about 3 or 4 weeks, so the air was full of crap that made it a little challenging to feel I was getting enough oxygen.
Saturday, though cool, was very foggy. The fog led to near immediate sweating. Good because it kept me cool, bad because I was soaking wet for nearly 4 hours… heh.
The run was awesome, though. I was worried and nervous, but I felt very strong.
I started out around 8:00 in the morning. I was running with my 3 liter North Face Hammerhead full of Gatorade and food.
I ran from the 13 mile marker up to the 26 mile marker. There I took a little break, ate a little and stretched. I was beginning to get tired, but felt good! My knees hurt a little, but that’s nothing new. I was seeing parts of the Canal and the Potomac River that I’d never seen before, and it provided a good distraction.
I was very excited at the end of the run. I had completed 26 miles in 4:05, just 17 minutes slower than Charlottesville, and it was on a training run!
But on Sunday I paid the price.
My run started the same place. The temperature was good, and no humidity.
This time, instead of starting the run with 10lbs of food and water on my back, I hit the trail with my two 22oz Ultimate Direction hand-held water bottles, no food.
My thinking was that I’d run a slow 10 miles up, 10 miles back, then refuel and tackle the remaining 7 to 8 miles.
Well, my lack of preparation was a huge mistake. My body’s need for nourishment was much greater than the day before. I started feeling hungry after only about 45 minutes of running. By the 3 hour mark, I was famished.
The only thing that kept me moving was the sense of accomplishment at having completed 46 miles in 2 days.
I got back to my car to hydrate and refuel. I took about 25 minutes to do this… I needed a break.
The last 8 miles were tortuous. My body was pissed and tired. The food I’d eaten only made my stomach upset. I got no energy boost whatsoever. Prior to my break I’d been running between 9 and 9:15. Now, I could barely close a mile in 10:45 to 11 minutes. It was demoralizing.
But from what I’ve heard, only 50% of distance running is about fitness, the other 50% is mental. And I was loosing the battle on Sunday. My mind was playing tricks on me, and as much as I knew it would happen, it was hard to circumvent.
I tried focusing on right brained activities… Checking out the dogs being walked on the trail, and remembering the dogs I had as a kid. Thinking about what Montana will be like. It worked when I could motivate myself, but for the most part, I was just slogging, both mentally and physically.
In the end, I pushed myself those last 8 miles. I had completed the first 20 in about 3:15, and took almost 1:30 to finish the last 8.
Today my legs are sore, but not wasted. I’m happy about that. I’m also excited to see if I can apply some lessons learned for next weekend!
Lessons Learned:
Gatorade is good, but very sweet. After drinking it for several hours strait, I’d have killed for anything else. I’m in the market for a replacement. Pedialyte is good, but expensive and also very sweet tasting.
Start eating early. Don’t wait for 3 hours to go by before beginning the refueling process!
You CAN do it!
Bill