Yesterday's Run - Blackjack

Report:
Huge thanks to Biddi G. for giving me a reason to not only get out of bed but to get out the door and run. This past week pretty much sucked training-wise. Sure, I got two sessions in with Stephanie and I got a nice 8 mile hill workout in, but damn, I wanted more miles on the board. 8 miles just wasn't in the plan. But plans change and sometimes the couch is just too tempting so you have to, just have to go lay down and sleep for an hour. And then sleep for another hour. Oh well, I'll live.

So today was a make-up day of sorts. I wanted to crack 20 miles but I had no idea if my mind or body would let me. Thankfully Biddi was there to kick me in the ass enough to get me started. So we cruised along together for a solid 13 mile run. And it was awesome. But she was the one that paid the price this time. She said I needed to "trip her and drag her ass back" if she tried anything over 12 miles. Well, I thought she said 10 miles (she was nice enough to prove me wrong at the end). So when we got to 10, I tried to turn her around but no, she pushed on. So at 12 I tried again and again she said no, just a little more. So we ended up with 13. I didn't mind the mileage but I knew she needed to play it smart and not get fucked up and sit on the sidelines for another 2 months.

I knew she was flagging a bit through the whole run because she wasn't pushing me hard. Usually she'll crack the damn whip and make me thrash myself raw by running 10 minute miles (or faster). Today, she was slower and I was able to keep up without seeing spots from lack of oxygen. So I knew she was still recovering. And that was cool, I needed to go slow anyway. But I made sure she paid a little bit in the last mile and a half. I knew she was suffering but I also knew she told me to stop her from going over 12 miles. So I did the best I could and easily cruised ahead of her and maintained an solid lead through the last mile. I was happy that I was easily going faster than her but I tried not to take too much pleasure in it. After all, I was trying to teach a lesson. Slow. The. Fuck. Down.

So, after we parted ways, I headed back out to torture myself. Thankfully Biddi wasn't there because I paid the price for enjoying her suffering. I suffered through a good portion of the next 8 miles but at the same time I was happy to get in my 20 miles and a hair more. A great mental victory (and a few miles) in the bag.

A side note for the local runners out there, I saw more people on the DRHT today than I've ever seen before (except for races). Biddi and I saw 1 lady and her two dogs and another runner well ahead of us that we never caught up to. As I was doing my solo 8, I saw another guy running with two girls and then another lady with her dog showed up just as I was leaving. Wow. Busy day.

Weather:
Temps were around 40F at the start and got up to maybe 45F or 50F by the end. Heavy clouds with not much sun. Rain started just as I finished. Wind was light to moderate.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was eggs, toast, coffee, and yogurt. During the run I kept to mainly Hammer Fizz, Perpeteum, and Gel. The first 8 miles was a bottle of Hammer Fizz and a bottle of Hammer Perpeteum with some Hammer Gel mixed in. The next 5 miles was the same (a bottle of Hammer Fizz and a bottle of Hammer Perpeteum with some Hammer Gel mixed in). The final 8 miles was again pretty much the same except I had ZICO coconut water with Hammer Gel mixed in one bottle and Hammer Fizz in another bottle. Recovery was another bottle of ZICO followed by three sliders (that's a mini-hamburger) and some jalapeno poppers.

Aches and Pains:
I felt slow and sluggish for the first 4 miles but once I warmed up I felt pretty good through mile 11. Around mile 12 I felt pretty damn awesome through the end of the fist 13 miles. From there, it was a roller coaster. Miles 16 and 17 were rough but I felt better until mile 20 when things got rough again. By then I just wanted things to be over with. The last 8 miles also brought some sporadic pain to my right hamstring. When it got too painful I just stopped and walked until it calmed down some. Outside of that, my hips and knees hurt but that's to be expected at this distance.

Gear:
I wore mu Saucony Peregrines which were fine until about mile 15 when they really started to annoy the hell out of me. I brought my Altra Lone Peaks but I didn't change into them out of sheer laziness. I wore my arm sleeves for the first few miles and they were awesome at keeping me warm while letting me strip them off at mile 4 of the run. Skipped the sunglasses due to the serious lack of sun. Listened to my iPod from mile 9 to mile 21. No other fancy gear.

Codename - Blackjack
I doubled-down today and came away with a winning hand. But I didn't win a lot of money, fame, or bragging rights. What did I win? An awesome new phrase thanks to Nora . So ladies, if you want to get Lumberjacked, just let me know. And while I'm willing to Lumberjack some guys, I don't expect many to knock down the door for a turn. In fact, I don't expect any women to volunteer either. Maybe I shouldn't stare at their asses when they run in front of me.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 10:08 (includes a pee break)
Mile 2 - 12:13
Mile 3 - 11:18
Mile 4 - 10:34
Mile 5 - 12:37
Mile 6 - 11:05
Mile 7 - 10:44
Mile 8 - 10:51
Aid Station - 9:56 (refilled my bottles and grabbed my iPod)
Mile 9 - 10:50
Mile 10 - 11:02
Mile 11 - 12:19 (includes pee break)
Mile 12 - 10:41
Mile 13 - 11:18
Aid Station - 8:48 (refilled my bottles)
Mile 14 - 10:27
Mile 15 - 11:42
Mile 16 - 12:34
Mile 17 - 12:20
Mile 18 - 11:44
Mile 19 - 13:30 (stopped to tie a streamer on a low branch)
Mile 20 - 12:05
Mile 21 - 11:33
Finish - 4:20:23