Saturday, October 2, 2010

What a long run day is like...

A work colleague who is helping me locate and contact running clubs along the run route suggested that I write about what a long run day is like.  (BTW, she writes a really good blog on healthy eating/living...click here )   I thought, great idea!

On long run days for training, my day usually starts the night before.  I lay out all of my food, water bottle, clothes and running storage belt so as I don't fumble around and wake up my lovely wife in the event she decides to sleep in a bit.  I also plug in my gadgets (Garmin running watch, iPhone, Zune player)...gotta have all three when I am out 6-7 hours.

I woke up this morning about 3:45 (Yes, a Saturday, 3:45 a.m..  No, I am not crazy.)  I ate some cereal (almond milk...no dairy!), two spoons of peanut butter and threw on some coffee (not for wake up purposes...but for "other" reasons if you get my drift) and grabbed the Investors Business Daily and went back to to bed to lay around, read and let breakfast settle.

This morning I was out the door by 6:00 a.m..  It was a cool, foggy morning...which was ideal for a long run.  I headed through the city about 3.4 miles to an area called Crissy Field, which is right on San Francisco Bay.  My Garmin never works until I get there...the buildings are too tall for the satellites to hit.  By Crissy Field, I am warmed up and starting to hit stride.  My Garmin tells me I hitting 6:50 to 7:00 minute miles...too fast I tell myself, it is a looooong way to Tiburon!  Crissy Field leads right up to the Golden Gate Bridge and it takes me 55 minutes to go the 7.8 miles from my door to the rest station at the end on the Sausalito side of the Golden Gate.  (Picture from a sunnier day!)



I drink 3-5 big swigs every 20 minutes on these long runs.  I usually over fill my bottle with Cytomax thinking that it will thin it out as I hit restrooms and reload.  I also eat a Clif Shot Blok (Margharita! Yum!) every 20 minutes or so as well.  I force myself, even if I don't feel hungry.

Over the bridge, I point my feet and head down the road to Sausalito...I decided to do a arm out self portrait on the road...(what a geek!)



The first 26 miles, I run an easy pace and end up at mile 26 in 3:30.  I feel I can run that pace for a long time.  I have eaten nearly two sleeves of Clif Shot Bloks and a Blueberry Clif Bar and about 4 20 ounce bottles of water.  I feel good about my nutrition and hydration pacing...I had to ummmm, errrrrr, see a man about a horse 5 times through 26 miles, so I had no concerns about cramping. 

By mile 28, I have written 3 best selling books in my head.  Created 4 Billion Dollar Businesses.  Fixed every work problem I know.  Decided to run for President.  Solved world hunger.  You get the picture.  Your brain seems to come up with a new thought every step and my head, always noisy with thoughts seems to get louder when I run.

Mile 28 Picture...



Now, for my long run, super diet secret.  Lean closer, I need to whisper...it is our little secret right?  You will be banned from the blog if you squeel.  Okay...my super diet secret...

At mile 30 or so, I stop a doughnut shop, take my stinky, salt encrusted body in and get the biggest frickin doughnut I can see.  I then go out side with the doughnut hanging out of my mouth and belt myself back up.  I always wonder what people think as I stand there, doughnut in mouth like a Black Lab with a bone.

Today, Miles 30-39 were fun.  The Susan G Komen 3 Day walk paralled my route home.  So, for 9 miles or so, 1,000s of women in pink were walking in the opposite direction of my run.  No issue here.  Great cause, upbeat people etc.  I will say, the 13 year old boy in me got a kick out of the cheerleaders at rest stops jumping and cheering "We love boobs, yes we do, we love boobs what about you?".  The cheers seemed really funny to me in my run adled state.  (Don't judge me!)

The last 4 miles is the toughest.  The hills of San Francisco face me once I get near Crissy Field on the way home.  There is a stretch coming out of the Aquatic Park that extends maybe a half mile.  I call it Butt Kicker Hill and it lived up to its name today!

Finally home!  43 miles today in exactly 6:10.  I burned approximately 5,300 hundred calories on the run and am starved!  What do I do after the long run?   Shower, rub arnica on my joints, down a Cytomax bottle to get some sugar back in , eat a few slices of pizza and then plop down for a 20 minute nap!

Three hours later, I feel ready to run again.  No pain, minor stiffness and I feel hydrated! 

Oh...while I was running, an executive coach I know sent me this article on the power of beet juice for endurance athletes.  Beet juice?  Yuck!  I don't care if Beet Juice would let me run to Argentina without sleep....YUCK!

Have a great Sunday!  More miles for me tomorrow!

2 comments:

  1. This post had me LOLing.

    Cytomax - I need to check it out (and those cliff balls you talked about in an earlier post).

    You burned 5300 calories... and to think some people join Jenny Craig.

    Hope you have a nice run today.

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  2. 20 easy miles today. Could have back to backed 40 easily. 71 miles in 3 days...1/2 of what I will need to do in five months. Yikes. E

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