5(+) miles on the mentor run
Today's run was a mentor run instead of a coached run. The most important difference between the two is that coached runs have water stations, and mentor runs don't.
I did some planning ahead so that I could minimize the discomfort of a lack of water stop. I figured out where there was a water fountain and bathrooms relatively close to the trail, and packed some good snacks and gatorade in a cooler that waited in the car for after the run.
Despite the planning ahead, today's run was really tough. I was able to run the first 2 1/2 miles pretty well - with my pace right at about 17:27 per mile (yes, that's faster than Thursday even... :D). I was being extremely cautious about how much I was drinking because I didn't want to run out of water too early.
I got to the halfway point and turned around, and realized once again the reason why I have a love-hate relationship with the Iron Horse trail. The way out is all downhill.... and the way back is all uphill. A slow, steady, relentless grade.
I started feeling the soreness in my legs and back almost immediately upon turning around, and my heart rate went through the roof despite the fact that I wasn't running any faster than I had been on the way out. My water was running low, and the heat was starting to get to me.
At the 3.5 mile mark, I took the detour I had pre-planned for a stop at the water fountain and bathroom. Well, it wasn't quite as close to the trail as I had thought. It ended up being probably an additional half mile to make the water trip. I felt a little more refreshed after going to the bathroom, dousing my face with water and refilling my water bottle, and began the slow trek back up the trail to the finish line.
It ended up taking me about 1:45 to finish the whole thing including the detour, which isn't too bad when you factor in the extra half mile for the water stop. But the second half was mentally and physically a little more challenging than I was quite prepared for this morning.
After I was done, I realized another important difference between last week and this morning: gatorade. I never put much stock in sports drinks, but I really believe that having gatorade during the run made a difference last week, giving me a little extra boost to keep going. I don't know that I'll ever replace my water bottle for a bottle full of gatorade, but I think it's time for me to begin to consider carrying gels - basically the same as gatorade but super-concentrated to make it more compact.
One nice bonus: our beginning/ending point for Iron Horse trail runs also happens to be the location of the Danville Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. I was able to finish off my run with a nice fresh, juicy, perfectly ripe nectarine - my favorite!
I did some planning ahead so that I could minimize the discomfort of a lack of water stop. I figured out where there was a water fountain and bathrooms relatively close to the trail, and packed some good snacks and gatorade in a cooler that waited in the car for after the run.
Despite the planning ahead, today's run was really tough. I was able to run the first 2 1/2 miles pretty well - with my pace right at about 17:27 per mile (yes, that's faster than Thursday even... :D). I was being extremely cautious about how much I was drinking because I didn't want to run out of water too early.
I got to the halfway point and turned around, and realized once again the reason why I have a love-hate relationship with the Iron Horse trail. The way out is all downhill.... and the way back is all uphill. A slow, steady, relentless grade.
I started feeling the soreness in my legs and back almost immediately upon turning around, and my heart rate went through the roof despite the fact that I wasn't running any faster than I had been on the way out. My water was running low, and the heat was starting to get to me.
At the 3.5 mile mark, I took the detour I had pre-planned for a stop at the water fountain and bathroom. Well, it wasn't quite as close to the trail as I had thought. It ended up being probably an additional half mile to make the water trip. I felt a little more refreshed after going to the bathroom, dousing my face with water and refilling my water bottle, and began the slow trek back up the trail to the finish line.
It ended up taking me about 1:45 to finish the whole thing including the detour, which isn't too bad when you factor in the extra half mile for the water stop. But the second half was mentally and physically a little more challenging than I was quite prepared for this morning.
After I was done, I realized another important difference between last week and this morning: gatorade. I never put much stock in sports drinks, but I really believe that having gatorade during the run made a difference last week, giving me a little extra boost to keep going. I don't know that I'll ever replace my water bottle for a bottle full of gatorade, but I think it's time for me to begin to consider carrying gels - basically the same as gatorade but super-concentrated to make it more compact.
One nice bonus: our beginning/ending point for Iron Horse trail runs also happens to be the location of the Danville Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. I was able to finish off my run with a nice fresh, juicy, perfectly ripe nectarine - my favorite!
Labels: Training
posted by Erin at 10:06 PM
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