Today will be a
I want to capture some of my thoughts about yesterday's run before they fade.
Runs like this actually begin the day before. I practiced my easy 9-minute mile pace on the Lake Miramar loop on Saturday morning, which boosted my confidence. And then I ate like I was prepping for a marathon. Made sure I was drinking plenty of water throughout the day. I got to bed early and had everything prepared for the morning.
I woke up at 4:30 and gave myself a half an hour of just relaxing, just to let my mind and body get used to the fact that the day was starting. I had a small cup of acai drink (Sambazon) and a Tiger Milk protein rich bar. Would have preferred a better energy bar and a banana, but didn't have them, so made due. I got dressed by around 5:15 (shorts, 2 tech shirts layered, shoes & socks, Batman utility belt, heart monitor, gloves and a beanie cap). It was chilly and still dark, but I drove out and stashed water near miles 2, 5 and 7. I knew I could get water at miles 10 and 14. I didn't want to carry any water with me.
I was running late when I got back home. I wanted to begin at 6AM, but it was 6:20 before I started the clock. The sky was light by then. It was actually pretty serene. The first couple of miles were cake, leading me out of 4S Ranch into Del Sur. I held a conservative pace: the one I practiced at Miramar. Because of the late start, I skipped the first water stash. I wanted to get to San Dieguito Park in time for the 8AM start to the San Dieguito Half Marathon.
Mile 3-5 were still easy. I had drifted back into 8:30 pace territory, but except for the shallow rise coming up from the bridge over the Lusardi Creek, it was mostly easy sloping downhill, so I let gravity help me. I hit the water stash at mile 5 and was feeling warm enough to ditch the beanie. I hid it behind a utility box at the roadside and pressed on into Fairbanks Ranch.
Tree-lined San Dieguito was chilly but peaceful and relaxing. I was cruising comfortably, sticking to the left hand shoulder, facing the light oncoming traffic. I ran in the bike lane when no cars were around, and hopped up onto the dirt and mulch shoulder when a car or truck was coming my way. Pretty safe. Many cyclists were heading west too, though on the opposite side of the road.
I reached the traffic light at El Apajo in under an hour. The neighborhood market was closed, where I had thought might be a good place to get water. I planned for that and grabbed my 2nd water stash before moving on.
The stretch toward mile 8 was new ground for me. I hadn't scouted it except on MapMyRun, and it wasn't a great segment. There was no real shoulder, no sidewalk and no bike lane. I was still feeling good and it was still an early Sunday morning, so there was no trouble. But I wouldn't recommend this route again.
After crossing Via de la Valle, the road turns into Calzada ded Basque and begins the only significant climb of the run. But it was significant. It starts out innocently enough, but just increases the grade as you get to the top. I don't know what the grade was. 10% maybe? It was tough and by the time I summitted, I was winded and burning.
I was confused at this point where to go. I remember thinking I should turn left, but the road name didn't ring a bell. I took a chance and fortunately I was right. I grew relaxed again heading to mile 10 and started to encounter runners warming up for the San Dieguito Half. That was so cool. I felt good enough at that point that I actually think I could have just joined the race. I didn't have to locate a water fountain. I pilfered water off the aid table near the finish line.
I thought briefly about trying to get down the road ahead of the racers. I was only routed to go about a half a mile on El Camino Real before turning off at the trailhead to San Elijo Lagoon. But the race was to start in 5 minutes by the time I'd watered up and I didn't want to sprint. So I walked along the side of the road and cheered for the runners as they went by. I could have jogged with them but was self-conscious about not having a bib and being thought of as a bandit.
The race runners went right at the corner. I turned left, westward into the wetlands preserve. I stopped and snapped a picture of a warning sign for mountain lions and what to do if encountering one. Hmmm.
The trail was easy to follow and well-marked. I wasn't alone. I passed a half a dozen people walking or jogging in the opposite direction. It was very beautiful. A little soggy in the lower lying areas, and I didn't like the loose, dry sand in some dune-like sections. But overall, it was a welcome change from asphalt and sidewalks. I could hear I-5 traffic in the distance.
It took me 30 minutes to go about 3 miles, reaching the Seaside Reef parking lot. The only parts I didn't like were tredding the narrow path under the highway overpass, and later having to cross the train tracks, violating the posted sign saying not to. Other than that, I loved running the lagoon paths.
I grabbed a quick drink of water at the rest rooms in the parking lot and checked out the head-high surf. The high tide and heavy surf was crashing into the rocks near the road, as I made the final push up toward Cardiff. The road starts to gently rise at Cardiff Reef and this is where I finally started to feel the fatigue. My legs had started to get heavier earlier, like around mile 9 or 10; but now they were hurting. My achilles tendons and calves especially...and ankles.
I reached the stretch of trail above Pipes, with Swamis in the distance. The end was near and I practiced a few acceleration gliders just to see if I could. It's fascinating to have plenty of room in my heart rate but to be out of gas in the legs. I'm so used to being anaerobic when I'm tired. But with these long training runs, I'm not. It's almost like my legs are not my own at that point and I have to will them to move.
It actually wasn't that bad. I made it to I St. fine. Yeah, my legs stiffened up almost immediately upon slowing to a walk, but I wasn't really on the verge of collapse. I probably could have gutted out a few more flat miles, but I was glad to rest. I walked around for about 20 minutes while I waited for Joan and the kids to arrive. We had a Valentine's Day morning breakfast at the Potato Shack. A perfect capper to a great morning.
Oh yeah; I got really hungry during the first half of the run. When I reached San Dieguito Park, I ate all 6 of the Clif Shot Blocks cubes I had brought along. It was only 200 quick boost calories, but they settled the stomach growling and gave me a psychological leg up. Getting hungry while running is also a new experience for me.
Overall; a very good run. Total run time -- not counting the short intermission at that half marathon -- was 2hrs and 22 minutes. I tried very hard not to try to keep a fast pace, but that's a sub-9-minute mile rate, which actually gives me confidence that I can run a marathon at that pace and finish in under 4 hours. I just need to keep putting on the mileage, patiently.
