TITLE: An Easier 22 Miles
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: August 13, 2006 11:16 AM
DESC:
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BODY:
Just a quick update on preparation for the
Twin Cities.
What a difference two weeks can make.
My
20-miler
two weeks ago didn't feel all that good to me. It was hot
and humid, and I was sore and tired. At the end, I was
wiped out for a day or two.
This morning was cool and dry. My legs felt a little heavy,
but I was able to run 9-minute miles without much effort,
I was starting to drag by the 14-mile mark, so I did two
things: drank a little Powerade and set my mind on picking
the pace up to 8:30/mile for a marked four-mile stretch up
ahead. You might think that thinking about speeding up would
be the wrong thing for me to do when I start dragging, but
in this case I judged the fatigue to be more mental than
physical. My legs weren't slowing down; I was just feeling
the weight of the miles left to run. In such a case, I find
that I can perk myself up with a little speed-up. It gives
my mind something positive to focus on and improves my mood.
I've been successful doing this on training rains the last
few years, but during my marathons. I wonder what I can do
in six weeks to convert this into a racing tool?
The fast four miles went better than expected: 8:10, 8:12,
7:52, 7:47. That's a cool 32:01 -- my marathon goal pace.
And the last two miles coming home felt just fine.
A much better day. Let's see what next week's 24-miler,
the crest of my mileage buildup, brings.
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