16 Miles

Sweet 16! Supposedly only happens once but I had another chance today as I ran 16 miles for the first time ever in my life.

I was excited to get up and get going this morning as the weather called for clear and +30 degrees. I wanted to be heading home before the real heat started. Even though I slept on the floor last night I was up at 730AM with high hopes of getting out the door by 800AM but actually didn't make it out until 900AM. Which meant that it was plenty warm by the time I started.

I also tried out some new equipment today. I have finally given in and purchased a fuel belt with two bottle clips. I upgraded to the large bottles today. In addition to water, I also carry my cell phone and a small pouch with my car keys with me. So I have this bulky belt around my waist when I start. I also tried out my $4 Canada cap to keep the sun out of my eyes instead of my usual toque.

The long runs are supposed to be marathon simulations. The marathon race plan is to run the race in 3 sections: 10 miles - 10 miles - 10 km. The goal is to to get to twenty miles fresh enough to knock out a 55 minute 10km to finish the race. Anyway, with that in mind, my long runs are supposed to start out slow. No ipod until 5 miles which is where I get my first drink. The ipod cadences are deliberately slow. No sprinting or strides. Just a steady pace so that I'm fresh at the end of the run. Drink water at 5 miles, 8 miles, 10 miles and 13 miles.

The trail is naturally divided into three sections: the well groomed riverfront (about 3 miles), the forest trail (2.5 miles) which has small rolling knolls and bridges, and the dyke road (5 miles) which is gravel with no shade. Each section has its own character. The dyke road most resembles what I think Bataan will look like so I prefer to run here.

Anyway, I finally had some company on the dyke road. Some guy passed me just as the forest trail was ending. He wasn't going that much faster so I was able to keep him in sight. I suppressed the urge to race and catch him, instead using this rare opportunity to train for the marathon. I expect lots of people to pass me in the first ten miles of the marathon, the trick is seeing how many I can pass back before the finish. If he is truly supposed to be ahead of me at the end he will be, otherwise I'll eventually catch him. And that's exactly what happened. About one mile into the five mile dyke road section he stopped. I was only about 2 minutes behind him. He stood with his hands on his knees sucking wind while I just ran on by. If I had wanted to race him back to the start it would have been over very quickly, but I still had four miles to go before I was turning around. Still...it was nice to have company for a short time on that section of road. It is usually a fairly solitary undertaking.

The rest of the run was fairly uneventful. I did start feeling a little sluggish around mile 14. A few thoughts of walking crept into my mind but I recognized what was happening. I told myself that "this is when you gotta grind" and tried to pick up my pace. It took a half a mile or so but eventually I got my wind back and even tried a push at the end. When I was done, I propped my legs up on a park bench and laid on the ground staring up at the sky.

The Long Runs

Last weekend I finally ran what I consider to be a long run...15 miles. I had previously thought that 10 miles was a long run, but that was when I was training for 10K races. Now I am working up to 20 miles every Saturday to get ready for the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon.

I've learned a few things so far. One main thing is that 26.2 miles is a long way! My legs felt like jello at the end of the 15 miles and I was proud I did it but I had to step back and realize that if this was the marathon I'd still have 11.2 miles to go!

I've learned to appreciate the beauty of my little mountain town. The Rotary Trail in Chilliwack offers beautiful views of the Vedder river, the mountains, great blue herons flying in formation and bald eagles. Yes, there is the occasional snake crossing the road too.

Its a nice milestone but the real milestone will be my first twenty miler which is six weeks away.