Week 11: Fourteen miles

4:00 hours, 2:3 minute run/walk ratio

So, obviously, I decided not to do the Mountain Festival 10K after all, but to go ahead and do my 14-mile run this weekend. It went pretty well—I finished in only a few minutes more than it took me to do the 12-mile run! This time, I ran on Dennison from Highline to Valley, then up Valley to Golden Hills Blvd, jog down and over on that street I forget the name of to Woodward to Meadowbrook Park for my first five miles. I called Mom on my cell phone when I was nearing the park, and she drove down to meet me and do her two laps around the dirt trail, while I did my six.

I stopped for a bathroom break before starting my laps, then again after I finished. My stomach was a bit crampy and uncomfortable today, but it didn't interfere with my running very much. I stopped my watch while I was taking the bathroom breaks, so altogether they would probably have added 10–15 minutes to the run.

I decided to run back on Red Apple Ave and Tehachapi Blvd to Mountain View, then back up to Valley on Mountain View, and out. Because of all the loops at the park, and odd bits of miles getting back to Valley and Dennison, I wasn't able to get accurate mile splits, which is probably just as well, because it just makes me obsess on my time anyway.

I was pretty tired by the time I got back to Valley, and skipped a running interval or two along the way, and then stopped for a rest in the shade of a huge ditch-digging machine that was parked along Valley Blvd. I didn't sit or squat down this time—I knew better! but just leaned against the machine on my forearms and rested till my breathing was sort of back to normal before starting out again. Between that rest and a mocha-flavored GU with caffeine, I finished out my last two miles feeling fairly strong, if very slow. I kept up my running intervals pretty well, and finished my 14 miles in just about exactly four hours, for an average of about 17.14 minutes per mile. Not bad.

The first long run after a bad—even disastrous—one like my 12-mile run is always a bit of a test to see if I'm going to be able to get back on track, or whether I've hit my limit and maybe my marathon days are over. But today's run went well, so I'm satisfied that the 12-mile was my bad run for this training season, and I'll be able to finish the training. Over half a marathon today!