Once upon a time, anything over 6 miles was a long run to me. Now, that boundary distance has been pushed out to 10 miles. Reaching and passing the 10-mile mark is still a rather significant undertaking for me and a rare accomplishment. With the successful completion of a 12-mile run yesterday, I can still count the number of 10+ mile runs I've attempted in my life.
1. 1978 - Cross country coach B sent us out on a 12-mile course around Norfolk, VA that took me over 2 hours to finish. I walked/jogged most of the last 4 miles. Even though I was a fit teenager and a decent-but-not-great 5K runner, I often walked portions of training runs that were over 6 miles.
2. March 1988 - Back then, I was running a lot -- mostly 5K and 10Ks. I was 27 and probably in the best shape of my life when I tried to run the 10-mile loop around NAS Miramar. I made it to around 7-8 miles before having to walk.
3. April 1988 - Ran in the 1988 La Jolla Half Marathon. Had no idea about proper preparation or what to expect. Walked the big "heartbreak" hill climb up to Torrey Pines but, except for a short stop to re-tie shoes, ran the rest of the way. Wish I could find my time result. It's in my keepsake stuff somewhere.
4. Late Summer 2009 - Training for the Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon, I successfully completed a 10-mile circuit from 4S Ranch to Santaluz and back. Unless I'm forgetting something, that would be the first run of that length that I'd ever done completely, without stopping or walking at all.
5. September 2009 - Ran a personal, unofficial half marathon along the Black Mountain trails. Very hard, but I did it all without walking. Finished in 1:58 or thereabouts. Joan and the kids provided me with support at a couple of checkpoints.
6. September 2009 - Started out on a 12-miler while visiting Dad in Norfolk, but 2 blocks from his house, I stumbled and twisted my ankle which knocked me out of commission for about 7-8 weeks. Guess that shouldn't even be on this list.
7. December 2009 - Finished a 10-mile course through 4S Ranch in 1:22.47. The 2nd successful, no-stopping-no-walking run of that length in my life.
8. January 2010 - First attempt of the challenging 12-mile route around Black Mountain. Got to 6 or 7 miles before lack of water and fatigue broke me. With lots of walking, finished in 2:10.
9. January 2010 - A week later, 2nd attempt at the same course. This time with lots of water and a forced slower pace, finished with no-stopping-no-walking in 1:44.
I think that's it. I won't be attempting to break the 10-mile barrier again until the Carlsbad Half Marathon on the 24th. After that, I'm going to have to decide whether or not to push the long run distance up higher into the teens and even twenties. I'll have to do that if I'm going to be serious about training for a full marathon.
That remains to be decided.
