Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Today 10/1/11, I went out for a long slow training run.  To show that I practice what I preach I will talk about my run and the things from my list of 13 plus 1.

Rule 1 – I did it.

Rule 2 – I went nice and slow today with all of my emphasis on cruise.  I followed my heart rate monitor and slowed down every time my heart rate hit 130.

Rule 3 – I ran 13 miles last week in a race.  This week, I ran 16.6 miles at a long slow pace.  I planned on running 16 miles but my loop worked out a little long.  I could have shortened the run to exactly 16 miles but that would have caused me to run around the block a few times and I don’t like doing that.

Rule 4 – I started out my day with a dose of Ted’s terrific pancakes.

Rule 5 – I ran by heart rate, not time

Rules 7&9 – I was running at the upper middle of my planned zone when I passed someone in the lower end of my planned zone.  We ran together for a couple of miles then parted ways.  The section of the run with company went by a lot faster than the sections alone.

Rule 10 – When I was within 2 miles of finishing my run, I kept eating and drinking to practice when the runs get longer.

Today was a terrific day for a long run.  I ran by a couple of local runners who enter half marathons with the intention of winning.  It is neat to watch them train.  They don’t really do long slow runs.  They do 15-20 miles of speed work on Saturdays.  I found a running partner for a little while.  I live in Alameda where the weather and views are awesome.  On my way back home, I stopped to do some aerobic exercises with someone on the water front.

While I was running, I could feel my inner quads getting tired.  As soon as I stopped, my calves started to hurt.  It is amazing how many little muscles we have in our legs that can cause pain.

Today’s total

16.62 miles

2:50:09 time

10:14 pace

126 average heart rate

1983 calories burned

I hope I am doing everything right.  My training plan is for a 4 hour marathon.  I know my knees will give out somewhere around mile 20.  My goal is to prolong the crash until around mile 24.