I completed my longest training run of the summer this past Saturday: 20 miles. I am glad it's over. For some reason I think it is worse than the actual race. Probably because I'm more worn out leading up to this run, and the taper between now and the marathon will have me feeling stronger.
Anyway, some random thoughts about running 20 miles, and stuff...
- Last year I did the 20-miler on a treadmill (it was raining out). Ironically, I noticed from my blog archive that I did it in the same exact time as I did this year running outside (3 hours, 37 minutes)!
- This year I walked another mile at the end of the 20. They say the amount of miles, or speed, doesn't matter as much on your longest training run as the amount of time you spend on your feet. Therefore, I should have spent 4 1/2 hours on my feet, but settled for almost 4.
- That last mile of walking actually hurt more than the previous 20 miles of jogging. I literally did not think I was going to make it. It was weird. I suppose your body gets accustomed to moving in a certain way, and when you change it after that long... ouch!
- It's also weird how difficult it can be to run slow. I was trying to run around a 12-minute-mile pace, but I just can't go that slow. It's certainly not because I'm fast. I guess I just have a "groove." I can fairly comfortably stay between a 9-10 minutes per mile pace.
- I was fortunate to have Jane run the first half (10 miles) with me this year. She is training for the half-marathon on the day I do mine, so it's been nice doing part of our long runs together. I probably talk her ear off the time we're running together though.
- The pic is an actual of what I ran the 20 miles in. I wore calf compression sleeves because my right ankle was still sore (it worked), and I've been wearing the toe socks on all my long runs this summer (to keep the blisters away). I have also been running almost exclusively in Brooks Ghost 11's. I seriously just ordered my 3rd pair Sunday morning. Yes, they were hugely discounted, but I love these shoes. I will run the marathon in this particular pair, and keep the new ones for when these are ready to be retired.
- After the run I spent about 15 minutes with my legs up the wall. Then I took an ice bath. I don't always take ice baths after long runs - sometimes I will take a warm bath - but sometimes they just feel necessary. Whether it's hot or cold, I put a cup each of epsom salts, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar in the tub (plus 10 drops of lavender essential oil for odor control). Anyway, I soaked in the ice (with a towel wrapped around my head and neck to keep warm) for another 15 minutes. After THAT I took a shower, and then Jane made me a big breakfast/lunch of 3 eggs, sausage, potatoes, toast and coffee.
- It takes me almost as long to recover from a long run as it does to run it. After reading the news online, I lay in the recliner for a couple more hours. Later on we strapped a mattress and box spring to the roof of the car and took it out to the new Feipel house. Later we went out to eat, then took in a fundraiser down the street where the son-in-law's band was playing. For some odd reason we decided to walk the 2 miles there and back. I suppose that was good for our legs.
- Sunday morning we actually slept in. I didn't get out of bed until almost 10:30 am. It's been a long time since I've slept that long. I can't say it made me feel any more rested, but it was nice to be able to ease into the day. My legs actually didn't feel too bad either.
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