Sunday Long Run

Ugh, 5:30 on Sunday morning comes way too early... But up and out of bed I get, eat my cereal, load up everything: water bottle, 5 packs of GU, watch sweat rag, glasses, cell phone, keys and (of course) my driver's license. I'm out the door by 5:50 and at Barton Springs by 6:00. I got out of the car and finally on the trail by 6:03. Dave said that he was going to meet me at 6:30, so I wanted to get some mileage in before he shows up.

It's still pitch dark at six these days, so as I headed out and got away from the lights pretty quickly. I headed out on the hike and bike trail towards Mopac. I was completely alone on the trail. The only light was from the moon, a fat crescent that stood straight overhead. The trees cast moon shadows on the trail as I ran. It was really beautiful, having the trail all to myself, with only an occasional runner or two coming the other way to keep me company.

I ran all the way to the RunTex water coolers at Mopac, took a quick drink and headed back. I was back in Zilker by 6:33 or so and Dave was waiting for me. He says that he's in for as much as an hour and a half, so we set off on our normal Longhorn Dam loop on the hike and bike. Conversation floats around the usual stuff: kids, jobs, the weather, training. It's hot and humid and I have to not think about how much it hurts to run, but just stay in the conversation and appreciate the fact that I'm outside, by the lake, in the trees and watching the sun rise in front of me.

Overall, the run is good. There are enough people on the trail at this time to make it interesting but not so many as to be crowded. People watching is good; lots of sweat, a GU every 40 minutes or so and the time passes. It's great to have company, that makes a big difference on these really long runs. Finishing this loop will add 11 miles to the 3 that I started out with, but I still need more than that. So back at the Barton Creek footbridge, I bid Dave goodbye and continue on for another loop. One more time around S. First St. to Mopac will give me another four miles, which should get me up to 18 for the day. I'll be happy with that.

I notice that at some different points during my last four mile loop I feel totally worn out and then suddenly I find myself feeling great. It never lasts; the fatigue always sets back in, but I realize that these periods of feeling good tend to follow the previous GU by about 20-30 minutes. I guess that the quick energy really does make a difference. I'll have to remember that and get in the habit for the marathon of taking something every 30 minutes whether I feel like it or not.

In the end, I roll back into Zilker at about 8:55. So the total was around 2:45, 18 miles. I'm exhausted, but feel good. I made it through the week, which may be my highest mileage for the whole training. Now I get to back off for a week before having to pick things back up. The total mileage for the week is right at 41.