16mi Coyote Creek (+90C, Full Sun)

Pretty grueling. This morning we ran the longest of our weekend 'long runs' - 16mi along the Coyote Creek Trail in South San Jose.

It was supposed to have cooled-off by today (Saturday); instead it was the hottest day of the week. When I finished after ~2.5hrs, at only 10:30am, the temperature was above 90C, and a lot of the run had been in full sun. That took its toll. I went out too fast. Through ten miles, I was on cloud nine - felt great. And as it was I finished 16mi in a respectable time. But that last 4-6mi were very, very hard. I had to walk most of mile 15, and ran mile 16 only because I willed myself to finish running rather than walking.

I learn something on every long run - this morning I learned two things: 1) you need to dial it back a bit when it's warm, and 2) on a long run you HAVE TO run a reasonable pace from the beginning and resist the urge to run fast through the first few miles just because it feels good. You pay for this mistake during the last miles when your legs are done.

Otherwise, you know what? This was the longest single distance I've ever run, and, after drinking a lot of water since the end of the run, I feel good and I realize that 2.5hrs was very respectable for me for that distance. I've come a long way in a couple of months, although I still have to say that the idea of running another 10mi beyond what I did this morning remains a daunting thought.

49:33 6mi Campbell Park

Training for both a 1/2 and a Full marathon requires improving both speed and endurance. On Tuesday evenings at our track work-out, and on Thursday mornings during our 'buddy' runs, I work on speed.

This morning was a new milestone. I finished our usual Thursday AM 6mi buddy run in 49m:33s - first time under 50min. That's 8:16 per mile pace, and pretty close to my required pace if I'm to beat 1h:50min for the 1/2. While I celebrate the accomplishment, I also note that it wasn't an easy run, and I don't think I could have sustained the pace for another 7mi. So, I'm getting there, but with less than 2m to go if I were to run the 1/2 today I probably wouldn't break 1:50.

But it feels really, really good to be making steady progress!

Waddell Creek - Beautiful Trail Run

I learn something new on each 'long run'. Every other weekend we push the distance on a run another 2mi compared to our previous long run; this morning we ran 12mi. The setting was beautiful - Waddell Creek State Park on the N. Calif. coast north of Santa Cruz. We ran ~6mi in to a picturesque waterfall, and 6mi back.

What did I learn? Two things: 1) I have to run my own pace and not someone else's, and 2) don't play an ice hockey game the night before a long run. The second lesson is an obvious one. The first is a very typical mistake. You start a run along side some others; the guy next to you is running a bit fast, but you feel fine over the first couple of miles, the setting is great, and you feel like maybe you can sustain this pace. WRONG. After 6mi I was barely able to appreciate the waterfall, and struggled to jog slowly back over the remaining 6mi.

I'm aware of what a realistic pace is for me right now. I think the problem is that my pace is still a bit slow compared to my target race times, especially my target 1/2 marathon time of sub 1h:50m. So I like to think that overnight I can run a lot faster and longer. But I still need to train to achieve my target times.

Waddell Creek is a very beautiful setting. It's actually a very technical run - narrow trail - lots of twists and turns, rocks and roots; you cross the stream many times. I'd like to go back and run it again at my own pace and more thoroughly appreciate it!

Time Trial #2

3mi in 23m:37s at Track tonight. That's sub 8min mile pace over this distance. If I could sustain this pace I'd beat my 1/2 marathon finish time target (but I probably couldn't sustain this pace even for another one mile let alone another ten).

However, the marvelous thing is that we ran this same time trial a few weeks ago (see 6/23 post). I've improved by more than 4min over the intervening time. That part is very satisfying.

I need to do two things over the next 2-3 months: acquire the endurance to run a long distance in preparation for the Full marathon, but also improve my speed over the shorter 1/2 marathon distance. Tonight shows progress against this latter goal.