Twenty

So...it wasn't easy, but I reached 20. I would have liked to have added another 2-3 miles, but my front hip muscles were hurting, and after I stopped for a few minutes for water I couldn't get started up again. I did walk for 2 miles more, but just couldn't get my legs going again.

Each mile beyond 15 gets harder, and I fear that final 10K past the 20-mile mark in the marathon is going to be a bear. Maybe not. Maybe there's a tipping point over which the psyche takes over with the end in sight and you get a third or fourth wind. All I know is that I haven't experienced that yet.

It's not overall fatigue that's blocking me. It's fatigue in specific parts of my feet and legs. Those hip flexors are the first to go, making it hard to lift the knee and bring it forward. By the time they're fatigued, inclines become major challenges. Fortunately, the last 6 miles of the Rock 'n Roll course are flat, winding around the perimeter of Fiesta Island to Sea World. I think that once I come down from Morena Blvd and into Mission Bay Park, I ought to be able to suffer through the final 8 miles, as long as there isn't a stiff headwind coming off the ocean.

Anyway, today was a little surprising. I did 4 laps as Lake Miramar, taking only a 2-3 minute break in between to grab water and a little fuel (banana, gel). The first two laps were pretty strong. I kept the pace reasonable, though still find it hard to slow down to less than an 8:30 pace. In fact, I don't think slowing down helps any. If anything, the more shuffling gate of 9:00 or so is harder and I get impatient with being tired and taking longer to cover the same ground. My most efficient stride seems to be around 8:20 +/- 10 seconds. Though I haven't sustained that pace beyond 20 miles, that seems to be the best balance of speed and endurance for me.

I ran lap 1 in 41:30. There were times when some speedy runners went by and my ego wanted to pick up the pace to look good, but I reigned it in and did pretty good.

After filling up with as much water as I could take without sloshing, I ran lap 2 in 41:18, which shocked me because I felt slower. As I tire, it becomes harder to gauge my speed over the ground. I did try to shorten my stride and take quicker steps, which could account for the slightly faster circuit.

I ran lap 3 alone. Quin had grown bored and stayed with the car in the parking lot while I completed the lap in 41:00. Again, it's a strange phenomenon to feel like you're slowing down but actually log a quicker time. My explanation is that my brain starts to take over and, because I think I'm starting to drag, I adjust when I don't really need to. It was starting to get warm on that lap and doubt began to creep in for the first time.

Lap 4 was hard. I had difficulty getting revved up again after the water break and some Clif gel. Because I was only drinking water every 5 miles, I was probably short changing myself on the hydration. Having water every 2-3 miles is better. Water is my achilles tendon (metaphorically of course). Staying hydrated in those half marathons may explain why my performances were so much better than when I run alone. I hope that trend continues with the marathon.

The final lap seemed to take forever as I mentally checked off the quarter miles. At 18, I was tempted to walk. At the 19, I was really having difficulty lifting my knees but was able to suffer through it knowing I only had 8-9 minutes to go. I hit the water fountain at 42:40...losing quite a bit of time compared to each of the first three.

Quin was ready to go and it was obvious he didn't want me to attempt to tally up another 2 miles. Two more miles would have only meant running to the first mile post and then turning around. I thought I could do it, and I gave it a try, but my legs just wouldn't loosen up. So I walked to the mile post and back.

Still, I was happy. I put in a pretty tough and high mileage week and I feel good enough this afternoon to believe that I can do an easy 3-4 recovery miles tomorrow instead of taking a full day of rest.

Rather than being a cut back week, I intend on doing another week like this past one. I'll be 4 weeks out from the marathon tomorrow, so this coming week is really my last chance to make any strength improvements before I start to throttle down. I don't want to go into the taper unsure whether or not I got in the last drop.