penultimate

So yeah, the twenty miler...

In general, I felt pretty confident in the days leading up to Saturday's workout. My weekday runs were challenging, but largely pain-free, and I had logged a 19 mile run just a couple of Saturdays before. On the other hand, the 19 mile odyssey came on a day when I had no idea what my body was going to allow me to do. I wasn't expecting to go that far, so there was no dread associated with the distance. The 20 mile run being the capstone of the novice training program, I felt it important (if only mentally) to cover the full distance, and a lot can go wrong over 20 miles. So there were some nerves. I don't recall exactly, but I think my dreams the night before were running related (this is happening from time to time now).

Here's the road map:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2278703

Some notable happenings:

mile 8
I used the BP restroom at the Columbia intersection, then stopped at the McDonald's a couple minutes later for water after consuming my "vanilla" Clif gel. Not wanting to wait in the long line to acquire some tap water, I went over to the soda fountain and repeatedly filled and drank from a paper ketchup container. Though I wasn't really doing anything wrong, my behavior felt very shady and roguish, so as soon as I felt sufficiently hydrated I scampered out of the building and continued on my way.

mile 13
Running down Hilliard, a large bug flew deep into my open mouth. For a few moments it felt like there was something acidic stuck in my throat. I was able to eventually gag the insect out of my body, but the minute or so afterwards was moderately nauseating.

mile 15
I saw the Rosenaus (Greg's parents) exiting a parking lot in their car as I neared Joe's Diner. It was nice to exchange some waves, but as they drove away I felt alone and deserted in Rocky River, like I had missed a golden opportunity to hitch a ride home.

mile 17
As I approached a low, thick tree branch overhanging the sidewalk, I ducked, but apparently not very well. Not enough to avoid a jarring impact between the tree and my skull. I didn't realize until I was home that the top of my head was bleeding.

Even overlooking the odd mishaps, this was a tough run. I was pretty tired by mile 15 and running on fumes by the time I got to Lakewood Park. You'll notice from my route that I stopped at W 112th, about a half-mile shy of my apartment building. At this point my legs were screaming for some relief and I figured I had already passed the 20 mile mark (though in reality I had just barely reached it). I walked the rest of the way home, retrieved some Gatorade from the apartment, and hobbled back out to the front lawn. I sat in the shade and drank around 30 ounces of Gatorade, while my hands, forearms, and face started tingling (sheer exhaustion?). After a while I headed back inside to tend to my head wound.

It's a little worrisome to me that, whether true or not, I felt that I could not run that last half mile. It would have been reassuring to get to the end of the workout feeling like I could have done a bit more. I guess now that the injury pain has subsided, fatigue is back in the spotlight, and boy, that was real fatigue. But though my body may have been ready to fall apart, I completed the 20 mile run at a quick pace (2:37 with a bathroom break and four water stops), and that's something I wouldn't have predicted a few months ago. I've planted my flag in the sand and now get to enjoy a few weeks in an oasis of tapering until race day.