Another tough run

Wow, the cumulative fatigue across my training regimen has certainly taken a toll on me this time around. Today's run is something that should have been easily in my wheelhouse -- 20 miles at 7:25 pace. That's approximately the right pace to get a 3:15 marathon, which is not unreasonable for me. But today... I dropped from pace after 12 miles, and then again at Mile 14 and Mile 16. What should have been a little under 2:30 total wound up being over 2:40. And thoroughly wiped.

At Mile 18, my vision started ever so slightly to be affected similar to what happens when you get lightheaded -- I was right on the edge of that. I was mindful of it for the remaining two miles, prepared to step onto the rails of the treadmill and hold on, but that was not needed. Interestingly, only after I started my cooldown walk on the mill did I start getting lightheaded.

Lunch today was a great local BBQ place, mercifully I was permitted to eat indoors. I desperately needed the food in me, and have no idea how I would have fared if I had to continue back home first. But it took a long time for me to get through my meal. Just the energy needed to eat was a bit hard to muster -- not standard for me. And then to walk back to the car (please, maybe 100-200 feet?)... I was on edge the whole time driving back, looking to just collapse onto the couch.

Clearly something is insufficient in my diet lately, and I need to adjust it anyway to deal with some too-fast weight loss today. But the biggest thing that I truly need is to get my head thoroughly back into the game. Marathon Day (for a real in-person event) is really going to be the only time that truly happens. I have to be confident that my training has put me in good enough stead to make my sub-3 goal, even if the last couple of big runs have gone nowhere well enough to give that impression.

As many people have as a mantra (and as the Marathon Talk podcast just might have as a trademarked slogan on their apparel -- I don't know), "Trust The Process." 

Let's get-er-done!

New excitement

One of my plans for this year was to qualify for the Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Championships to be held in 2021. I had already gotten a great first qualifying run in Toronto in Oct 2019. I was all set to get my next qualifying run with Rock 'n Roll DC in March 2020... until it was canceled. Along with all of the other races I had originally registered for in 2020. With only one good race under my belt, I am nowhere near the Top 85 for my age group. I need one more approved race where I finish within 30 minutes (preferably much less) of the top-placing in my age group.

Abbott just announced that they are extending the qualifying period to the end of the year. So, even though  my planned sub-3 race in 3 weeks won't qualify (it's not on the list :-( ), there are a couple of other US marathons currently set to go forward before year's end where, judging on past results, I very well may be within about 15 minutes of the top finisher in my age group. If that all comes together, I have very good odds of qualifying for the Age Championships to be held in London next October!

Anxiously waiting for these next few weeks to proceed to see if the marathons in question continue to be approved or are canceled. Fingers crossed!

Long-lasting after-effects of Marathon?

This week has been a "reverse taper" of sorts, apparently, in an effort to get some additional difficult runs in prior to my taper before my next marathon in a few weeks. It's been a tough go since my running the Brookings Marathon last week. 

Monday was easy, being a simple 4-mile jog at a comfortable pace. On Tuesday, I had a 10k time trial. I was supposed to break 40 minutes again, but couldn't hold it together like previously, so wound up getting 42 minutes. (Not shabby in itself, but not making the goal.). Wednesday was 8 miles @ 7:00 pace. Managed it, but it was a little tough on the legs. Thursday was 7 miles (the middle 2 being at 6:30 pace) -- again, legs were burning a bit at the higher pace. Friday saw things blow up a fair bit. While just a 6 mile run, it was supposed to be at race pace. I dropped my pace for the last mile given both the burn in my thighs and the heavy breathing.

Despite having yesterday off from running (I did some cross-training which had no effect on legs), today's run fell apart from the get-go. Despite it being gorgeous running conditions for a 20-miler (slight wind, 45F starting temp), and using a course profiler that should have been a little easier than what the W&OD Trail would have had in store for me, it was just too much. By 6 miles, my Garmin was screaming at me for high HR, and I was certainly feeling it. By 16.5 Miles, I was barely holding on to some semblance of a running pace, and slammed into the wall at Mile 17 -- walked the last 3 miles. I was supposed to have about 2:20 for this run and wound up just under 3:02.

Some active recovery runs for this week, and another attempt at 20 miles next Sunday at a slower pace to fully kick off my taper. Fingers crossed that things go a bit better for me.

Another marathon!

 I've been quiet lately while I was on a cross-country trip, out as far as Yellowstone National Park (gorgeous, especially after getting snow) before circling back to get to Brookings, SD for the marathon there on Sept 12. I was the pacer for the 3:55 group.

Brookings is a VERY small race. While they usually cap the marathon to about 400 people, this year there were only about 1

20 finishers. (!) They separated the field of marathoners and half-marathoners into three waves, based on expected finish time; I was in the first wave. They had socially distanced dots painted on the ground in the starting corral for everyone to stand on. This is the first time running a marathon where there was no "crush" of runners towards the start line in the minute leading up to the gun going off. Everyone stayed separated, and kept their masks on until crossing the start line (at which point we all dropped them on the ground).

My group only consisted of two people -- one half-marathoner and one marathoner. (There may have been others who kept us in sights, given the pace sign that I held the whole time.) It was a comfortable run for me, though given the slower than normal pace, my stride was definitely shorter than standard (which did get a little annoying). The half marathoner stuck with us on-pace until the split of the courses. Alas, my marathoner started feeling it around Mile 19 and finally cramped up at about Mile 20. While he lasted longer before cramping than he did in his previous 2 or 3 marathons, it was enough that he had to take it down a notch. He wound up finishing in about 4:10.

I don't run with my phone, so couldn't take any photos along the way. No loss, frankly, because there was really nothing of any note to look at, even after the heavy fog lifted. This is certainly one race where running with other people was a huge help to keep the motivation going, as there were relatively few people along the course (though a few of them appeared in multiple locations), too.

I'm happy to have #43 in the books. #44 is planned for next month. Hopefully they will actually have a pacer for the 3:00 pace group, as that time is my goal, and I *definitely* need to have the extra motivation and support to keep that pace.