Running for 2 hours and 45 minutes is not trivial. That’s exactly what my training plan called for today.It was already in the mid 60s when I started running at around 8:40AM today. The sun was shining brightly and it was there was a brisk breeze from the northeast. I started on the greenbelt by Scottsdale Road and 92nd Street running south. Running with the wind felt smooth and easy. Right after Indian Bend, I started running on the canal and was still going with the breeze. The first hour went by in no time and I averaged better than 8:15 per mile. In oldtown Scottsdale, I stopped, drank water at a water-fountain and ate 4 gels.
It was starting to get hotter but I was still running with the breeze for the first 20 minutes of the second hour. As I turned around (59th street), I felt a the wind directly in my face and the sun had heated up well into the 70s. I slowed my pace but couldn’t get my heart rate down into level 2. I knew I was overheating but decided to run on. Instead of running back on the canal, I decided to go straight north on Scottsdale Road. It was gently uphill, against the wind and hot.
At India Bend, I saw a Starbucks. I was 2 hours into the run by now. I couldn’t resist. I stopped, ate a honey-yogurt with granola and relaxed for about ten minutes before running on north on Scottsdale Road, going east on Double Tree Ranch Road and finally back north through the greenbelt to the start.
By the time I was done, I was really done! I was hot, exhausted and in a bad mood. The run felt really hard and I ended up averaging over 8:30 per mile for just under 19.5 miles. After a nap in the afternoon, I realized that there were a few factors that contributed to my lousy run:
- I had Vodka last night. That didn’t exactly help in keeping me cool and hydrated.
- I probably haven’t fully recovered from my half marathon last Saturday. The half was a good all-out race for me, but it probably takes more than a week to recover.
- In the first ten miles of today’s run, my heart-rate management wasn’t the best. It was flirting well into level 3.
- It was hot and windy today which is not the best recipe for a fast run; plus my body has not quite adjusted to the Phoenix heat this year yet.
In the evening, we went out to a KJZZ first-press wine/charity event. It was late by the time we got back home. I have no plans tomorrow except taking Missy to the vet for a blood test. She seems to be doing quite well!