Mike and I completed one of our last two long runs on Saturday. Every time I think the conditions couldn’t get worse, they do. I was thankful for missing the pouring rain last week, but compared to Saturday that didn’t seem so bad. For me there were a couple other factors that made this run particularly difficult. First, I missed two long runs in a row, so the fitness level just isn’t where it should be at this point. Second, my calf is still bothering me. The good news is I’m used to the pain and it really isn’t that bad if I can run 18 miles on it.

We started around 6:30am in a steady cold rain and total darkness. The route was two laps just over 9 miles each on the roads between our houses in Hopkinton and Holliston. After about an hour it started snowing. Not fluffy dry snow, but wet driving snow. It was the type of snow and wind where you have to run with your head bent forward in order to see. As we neared the start, Mike asked if I was in for another lap. Clearly he wasn’t suffering as much as I was, but I had to keep going. Only six weeks until marathon day.

I actually felt relatively good around mile 13 when Mike mentioned that if we were doing the New Bedford half-marathon (which was happening the same day) we’d be done by now. About a mile later I wished I was done. But the purpose of the long runs is as much mental conditioning as it is physical. I have always trained alone so doing long runs with Mike and the team is a tremendous help. Three days later I don’t remember much about the last four miles other than I finished. It was cold. I was drenched and tired. We passed a dead opossum (for the second time). We’ve always jokingly called this type of run a “character builder.” I’m hoping the 21-miler in two weeks has a little less character.

Last Modified : March 18th, 2008 Filed under : training Navigate : Previous post / Next post