Friday, August 11, 2006
A sense of adventure
I did the 12 miles today! This run went well, though I felt more tired after it than in any other non-race run. More accurately, I was concious of a real feeling of being "beat" that I have not yet felt in any of my training runs. I trust that this is a growing pain, and that when I have 15 and 18 mile runs under my belt, going back to an "easy" 12 miler will not be a big deal.
I decided to attempt this before work, rather than on the weekend. This meant rising very early, and being on the road (driving) by 5 a.m. so that I could hit the road (running) by 6 a.m. The early departure leant a sense of adventure to the whole endeavor. Another factor which made this feel like an adventure is that I headed into uncharted territory.
So here's a list of some firsts:
1. Running 12 miles.
2. Running longer than my previous time record, which was about 1 hour, 25 minutes.
3. Running a Charles River route beyond the Harvard Bridge (I actually went 2 bridges beyond).
It's very satisifying to break through previously-uncrossed borders. I may have to be creative in the latter part of my training to keep the short and medium runs feeling fresh.
Another first, tho I left it off the list above because it is not a personal accomplishmnet. I used the Camelback fluid carrier my sister Kathy gave me, way back in March. I've been waiting for a good long run to try this out, but also did not want to carry the extra bulk on a really hot day. Today was nice and cool, and the length of the run made it mandatory to bring some fluids along. It worked out really well, being easy to use without stopping. The extra weight and bulk was not too bothersome.
I decided to attempt this before work, rather than on the weekend. This meant rising very early, and being on the road (driving) by 5 a.m. so that I could hit the road (running) by 6 a.m. The early departure leant a sense of adventure to the whole endeavor. Another factor which made this feel like an adventure is that I headed into uncharted territory.
So here's a list of some firsts:
1. Running 12 miles.
2. Running longer than my previous time record, which was about 1 hour, 25 minutes.
3. Running a Charles River route beyond the Harvard Bridge (I actually went 2 bridges beyond).
It's very satisifying to break through previously-uncrossed borders. I may have to be creative in the latter part of my training to keep the short and medium runs feeling fresh.
Another first, tho I left it off the list above because it is not a personal accomplishmnet. I used the Camelback fluid carrier my sister Kathy gave me, way back in March. I've been waiting for a good long run to try this out, but also did not want to carry the extra bulk on a really hot day. Today was nice and cool, and the length of the run made it mandatory to bring some fluids along. It worked out really well, being easy to use without stopping. The extra weight and bulk was not too bothersome.
