MENTAL BREAKDOWN....you're asking if Bill finally had one this week. No, but close. This week in talking with people, I mentioned that I was going out for 16 miles on Saturday morning. Naturally this was followed by mostly chuckles and people shaking their heads. Ok, I can understand why this response comes up when talking about running this distance. It seemed natural last fall when I did it, but somehow when I said it this year, it brought about uncertainty in my own mind as well. There were probably a couple of reasons for this. First, my intentions are to be much much quicker this year. Second, I'm on my own. Last weeks 14 felt good and really wasn't that intimidating. However, there is something about the 16 mark that sets it, and every run going forward, as "character builders." Back to the title of the blog. I remembered last year that when runs began to reach these lengths, it is way too much to tackle it mentally in one bite. It's best to mentally breakdown the run into manageable bites. You can decide to do it any way you like in order to get you through the run. Here are my mental breakdowns for todays run: Miles 1-4: Started out a little after 6am at Grenada Park. Again like last week, I wanted to just head out doing what felt comfortable (don't get hung up on the Garmin). First 4 felt great. Looking back on the stats, the time reflected it too. Hovering in the 8-8:30 range per mile. Miles 5-8: Stopped to fuel up with some Cytomax and was on my way. Still felt good, my mind began to wander towards the run as a whole...16 miles seems like a long way. "Forget it just finish this 4 miles and your halfaway there" I told myself. I reached my turnaround point from last week and felt good knowing I only had one more mile before the turnaround. I'd never run this far up the canal, and as I approached the extremely swanky new condos on the waterfront by Scottsdale Fashion Square, I knew I had run a long way. By the way, I still find humor in the fact that we refer to the canal as waterfront property in Scottsdale. I guess if I had irrigation in my front yard, I could up the value of my house being on the "waterfront." Miles 9-12: I stopped to GU, stretch a little and off I went. Hamstrings were a little tight but I still felt good. Looking at my Garmin at the turnaround, I noticed I had run the first 8 at a 8:30 pace...nice! Didn't know if I would be able to maintain that for the back 8 but I'd give it a shot. Around mile 10, things began to turn as they did last week. Legs felt more heavy and feet began to hurt a bit. However, I kept finding bursts of energy that enabled me to maintain. My mind began to question my endurance again around mile 11.5. My thoughts, "just make it to mile 12." Miles 12-16: Boy, these were tough miles. I decided to breakdown this section by telling myself to make it to mile 14. I noticed that my pace had fallen drastically to about a 9:00-9:15 pace. I wanted to finish as strong as possible, but my body was beat. The most concerning being the dull pain around my kidney area. I remember this pain from last years training. I'm not a doctor but my guess is that it is some internal organs letting you know that your body is running on empty. Reaching the Biltmore area, I knew I was close. I was done mentally by mile 15, I tried to give a little burst of something, but the best my legs could do is bring me to a 9 min pace. I finished 16 at a 8:40 pace. I went longer and faster than last week. My body feels it too. My training is on track for my goals...I'm proud of that but a little concerned at how much my body has for the last 10. I'm gonna think about what I need to do, be it nutrition, sleep, cross training, or whatever to ensure I keep on track. I'm supposed to do 18 next Sat, but I may reconsider if I think it's best for my body and training. Activity
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