Sooo close.

I'm polishing off the end of my post-long run feast (veggie cheeseburger, loaded baked potato and spinach salad), anxiously awaiting the beginning of the Maryland-Duke game at one.  There are few things I love more, especially during the long, cold mid-Atlantic winter than ACC basketball.  The rivalries are huge and the intensity never lacks.  Watching a game is the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon, especially when you're recovering from a 20 miler.

My goal was to leave the house by 7:30 this morning, so when I was out the door at 7:35, I was really impressed.  I'm not always that punctual, especially when it comes to things like running 20 miles in the cold.  Since the snow storm, I was afraid that my favorite trails would be covered in 2+ feet of snow, so I took to the streets.  Running against traffic, I got a new perspective of some of my favorite routes, and found some new roads.  My goal was to run negative splits, so I started out liberally at a 10 minuter per mile pace.  It was hard to run that slow at first and kept reminding myself to slow down.  Once I hit the ten mile mark, I tried to aim for 9:50s instead.  There were some spots during the run that I felt really good and was able to push it below 9 minute miles after the 17 mile mark, which gave me a lot of confidence that during my race, I'll also be able to find that second (or third or fourth) winds to push a little harder.  I felt a lot better than I did during my last 20 miler a month ago.  It's reassuring that my training the past month has done something.

Also, Fairfax county is hilly as shit!  My total ascent was 1829, with a descent of 1790.  Miserable.  I know the course is a lot flatter, so that gives me a lot more confidence as well.  I have a 22-miler next Saturday and then a shorter long run the Saturday after.  I really only have two weeks left of training before my taper.  Crazy.  A month ago, it seemed like my race was so far away, and now it's only 5 weeks!

Return of "The Hill"

On December 18, the "Snowpocalypse" hit, covering Washington, DC, Baltimore and most of the Mid-Atlantic of upwards of 20 inches of snow. Fairfax County decided that instead of piles of snow on the street, they should be on the sidewalk. Then it was cold, very cold, for pretty much the next month leaving the snow in its frozen form. The gigantic ice/asphalt mountains on the the sidewalks made running the second half of my favorite loop impossible and blocked me access to The Hill.

The Hill is over a mile long and 10% grade. Ok, I exaggerate, but it is a quarter mile long and really steep (now that I have a Garmin I guess I can figure out exactly what the grade is...) I hate it. It's hard and usually comes at the end of my runs, but I tell myself every time I run up it that it's only making me a better runner. It is the perfect hill for hill repeats (either long or short), of course, I wouldn't really know because I've only been insane enough to do that once. Needless to say, like most runners, I am slightly crazy, and despite the pure torture, I began to miss it during the nearly 6 weeks it was inaccessible. When I realized on my way home from work today that the snow had finally melted, I knew it was time. I ran my Five Mile Alternate route, which involves going down the hill at the beginning, and up it at the end. My legs missed it, and pushed me hard the whole way up.

Last week I had an easy week. I was back down to 25 miles (for the week) with a long run of 10. I really needed the break. I was getting tired of training and my legs were hurting. This week I'm doing 35 or so miles, with a long run of 16. Next week its up to 38 with another 20 mile run. Yikes! The first 20 mile run was fine, I'm just hoping that the next two continue to get easier so I have some more confidence going into my race!