Month: July 2010

YEA! I pulled off 20.04 miles today. The weather was RAD: between 78 and 82 degrees with probably about 30% humidity (basically, no noticeable humidity). I was under the afternoon’s most intense light. And I felt pretty darn good. Here are the deets:

I did 3 loops of Central Park plus the lower loop to achieve my 20.04. My time was nothing special: 2:48:22, which equated to 8:24s. My splits were slower in the first loop than in the later loop, attributable to what is becoming a serious slowness factor: listening to my beloved podcast On the Media from NPR. As soon as it finishes the the music kicks in, my speed picks up.

As for injuries, nothing to report. My left calf was feeling even better, and I had no ankle issues. I’m starting to point my foot as a possible way to build muscles that might be relatively weak, relative, that is, to the muscles engaged in my more regular calf stretches to guard against shin splits. The idea is that I impinge my capsule with calf stretches (“dangling off a curb by my toes”), so pointing my foot will “un-impinge” my capsule.

After my run, I bounded down the subway stairs with noticeable confidence, not experiencing the sensitivity I usually experience over runs much shorter than today’s. I then went to the grocery store to buy ice. Why? ICE BATH! I heard they can be very helpful, so I thought after this long distance that I’d try it. I was in for 8 minutes and, boy, was getting in intense. But once I was in, I just had to deal with shivering for a rather short amount of time. I hope it pays off.

I am on naproxen 500 for a little bit to deal with a jaw issue, but I decided not to take the NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) before today’s long run because of possible contraindications related to electrolyte imbalancing, renal issues, and heart attack. Thanks, Mom, for reminding me of the potential conflict!

I’m in pretty good spirits after today’s run. I didn’t loose that much weight, but then again I didn’t seem to sweat incredibly. I ended up with salt around my eyes. I consumed two PowerGels over the course of this run, and maybe I should have had a third. I drank what seemed like a lot of water on this run, but I still ended up thirsty. I found that strange, but maybe it was because of the intense sun? Who knows. All I know is I’m done and I’m gonna take a shower now!

It was still a bit humid but much cooler for this morning’s loop around Central Park. Although it was about 60% humidity, 71 degrees with the wind felt fantastic for a change. However, my body was not performing at the levels I thought it would and was doing. I did 6.26 miles in 46:41 (with a couple traffic delays stopping my run). That meant I was doing 7:27s, but I thought I was doing better than that pace.

I think my lower performance was because of the demands I put on my body over the last couple days. Recount that yesterday I banged out my second 8+-miler in less than 12 hours, and also hit the gym just before it. I had had 6 hours of sleep, and last night I think I had around 6.5 or 7 hours. As a result, I don’t think I had enough rest to recover from those demands, so while my performance today wasn’t horrible, it wasn’t fantastic either.

Yet, there is still something to be said about so-far-this-week. I ran three days in a row (8-8-6) in spite of a tough schedule that seriously drained my energy early in the week, and the summer humidity and temperatures. I got a bit more serious about my goals, and I’m trying to get even more serious.

Of note in this run, I realized the decision situation when, say, I’m climbing a hill. You are faced with a choice between roughly two options as you mount the hill: endure, or relent. Usually, I get to a point at which I am challenged to the point that I relent. Conditioning, though, entails enduring in these times, and to choose “endure” rather than “relent.” If I continually do it, in theory it will become automatic for me to endure, not relent.

It takes strength to endure. So what I’m doing when I endure over relent is that I give myself strength to endure. When I choose relent, I give up strength and relax.

So there you have it for today! On the plate for tomorrow is a 20-miler. I’m not sure yet whether I’m doing it tomorrow or Sunday–it depends if I’m on a night shoot tonight, which seems possible. If I am, I need to shift around my schedule.

Cheers!

I got in this morning’s 8.15 miles less than 12 hours after my earlier 8.12 miles yesterday. It was a challenge to push myself a bit and get back on track with my training. I awoke around 4:30am, was at my gym by about 5:15am, and in Central Park for my run near 6:30am. Boy, was it effin’ humid … 96% humidity and 78 degrees made it feel much, much worse than last night’s run in 86-degree weather. Rain did follow my last couple miles, which was kinda nice but didn’t help much. I kept it slow again, running 8:21s (Egad!) for 1:08:10. This is because I just want to build up miles and endurance, but it is also probably somewhat attributable to the ghastly humidity, 6 hours of sleep, run less than 12 hours before, not to mention hitting the gym before my run (which probably tired my muscles more). No loss, though: I did 16+ miles in less than 12 hours and that’s kinda cool.

No leg pain to report. Nothing much to report at all, actually. Just a slow run in gross conditions but didn’t cancel the run. That’s something worth noting, I guess. 🙂