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John’s 26.2 Mile Trip

My journey to my first marathon, with some other observations thrown in

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Posted by john on August 21, 2007 in Running

Well, last Sunday saw Greg and I running our 16 mile long run. Greg did a very good job talking about the run, so I will focus instead on how the run affected me.

I experienced no leg pain on Sunday (which was fortunate), though on Monday and Tuesday, the leg pain came back a bit. Secondly, I felt a lot better after this run than I did after the first 16 mile run. This is a testament to how the training is helping me with these longer runs.

The sprint at the end was something new, and something I wish we had started doing on some of our previous longer runs. When we run together, it is necessarily the case that one of us is holding back the other (because we are not identical runners by any means). The free for all sprint at the end lets us run at our own pace, without regard for leaving the other man behind (or, in my case, in front). The sprint also introduces your legs to the feeling of fatigue, which is a good thing to know (but not really fun to experience). Like Greg, I had a tremendous first few miles after the sprint started. I ran somewhere around a 9:30 (which felt comfortable without pushing it), though I did have to slow down for the uphill on Winton. Also, the last half mile was extremely tough for me - I do not know why, but I just found myself having a very hard time with the last bit, which I ran at 10:47 - the worst pace of the run.

In any case, regardless of my feeling about it, we have two 20 mile runs left before the taper, then the Big Day will be here. At this point, completion is not a question, it is a certainty. The variables right now are pace, time spent walking (hopefully none) and how much pain my leg will decide to produce that day (hopefully none).

I ran a quick 2 mile run today, and my legs were pretty beat up. Hopefully they will feel better for Greg’s tempo run tomorrow. I have been stretching them extra good during my gym workouts, and some days they feel fine - other days they do not. Today was the first time that there was a consistent, noticeable pain in my right leg, though it was not severe. Tomorrow should be a good indication of how I can expect the long run on the weekend to go.