Today was officially the longest run I have ever completed. Here are the stats…
Time: 2:53:48
Distance: 21.68 miles
Average Pace: 8:01 per mile
Highlights: This honestly might have been the best long run I have ever had. I felt well rested, motivated, nervous, and excited all at the same time. I am always a little nervous before my long runs, but it is sort of a nervous/excited feeling. It is hard to explain.
I ran my run with negative splits, meaning that I ran the second half faster than the first half. I am trying to get in the habit of this to conserve energy for the later stages. The first 10 miles were around an 8:10-8:15 pace while the second half was under 8:00. I felt strong and relaxed pretty much the whole time.
The hardest part was dealing with the heat. I felt pretty crappy around mile 18, but I toughed it out and actually finished pretty strong. I think I was just dehydrated; even though I was sucking down water, I still don’t think I took in enough fluids. It is really hard to carry enough water on these longer runs. At least there will be water stops at the marathon.
After I coasted in, I took an ice bath while drinking my recovery smoothie. My last ice bath was hell, but I think I am finally starting to get used to it. It actually felt GOOD after running for 3 hours in that heat. Let’s look on the bright side, if it is hot in Chicago, I will have an advantage over most of the competitors. I was talking to my dad and he said it could be anywhere from 40-80 degrees in October. The weather is really weird that during that time of year. He would know best after living there for 40 years!
I am off to relax this afternoon. I have my first session of training for my job tonight from 5-10. I am looking forward to start making some money and meeting my coworkers. At least there will be free Mellow Mushroom!
I will be posting a weekly run down either today or tomorrow. My running log is a few weeks behind because I was out of town and busy. Hopefully I can get it updated soon.
wow congrats on mileage PR! that is so awesome, matt
and so great about the negative splits…ive been having a tough time with that….something to work on i guess. good luck with the training session and meeting your coworkers,etc.
what a great run! i always feel nervous/excited before a long run, i think it’s because we love it so much and care about what we’re doing
Nice job on the negative splits! I’m a little scared of my long run in the heat tomorrow.
Wow! That’s amazing well done!
Great job on the run and I hope you have fun at your job!!
congrats! that’s awesome! i know that nervous/excited feeling well. my long runs are usually my favorite runs of the week! the weather in chicago is totally crazy, yeah. what kind of temps are you hoping for?
That’s awesome! Congrats! A lot of forumites have been posting incredible mileage lately, I think I’ll take that as motivation and try and extend my long run next week
ahhh i can’t believe you JUST got the cookies – i seriously sent those like 3 weeks ago. damn mail system.
i hope they were still somewhat edible
hope you had a good weekend!
Wow…congrats on such a great run!
That’s awesome!!
And I know what you mean about the “nervous pre-run feelings.” I get those before my long runs too.
Great blog, by the way! This is my first time stopping by, and I always love finding new “runner blogs!”
congrats!!!!!!!!! sounds like a great run! what pace do you think you will start at for chicago??? way to tough it out to the end, too, seriously how do you pick it up at that point? just mental toughness????? it’s hard to really stay hydrated for a run this long.. i guess that’s why recovery is so important. are you sore immediately upon stopping????? that is what i am when i finish my longest runs… sore beyond belief, like a tight-sore.
once again, INSANE! 21+ miles in the heat with a great pace. i bow down.
i am so excited to see how you do in chicago!
making money is always sweet I am sad I only have a few days left of my money making time before I head back to school
Wow, great job on your run! That is such a long way to go…almost 3 hours! Wow, I can’t imagine.