The Long Run: 22 Miles and Counting

After my 20 mile run, I was feeling really good. Unstoppable, like this marathon would be no problem. Unfortunately, that’s not how I was feeling after 22 miles. While I made it through all 22 miles, and without incident, my body was not entirely happy.

The last two miles were there hardest. I could not keep my heart rate at MAF, unless I walked. So there was a lot of jog/walk going on. While I’m okay with this, it actually was a little painful to walk, it was more comfortable keeping the jogging stride. I also ran a lot slower than I had though I would. I was about 15 minutes slower than my prediction. I’m not exactly sure what that was all about.

I think being on my feet, jogging for four hours is extremely hard. These are the kind of runs I need to get my body ready for the marathon though. It makes me worry about my pacing. I’m not sure what to expect. If I can shave 15 seconds off my MAF pace. I’ll still be running about 10 minute miles. The good news is I know that I can do that, but I want to go faster than that. I’m just not sure that my body will be ready.

It’s very interesting to see how this distance effects my body. Last year I was so afraid of 13 miles, and now it’s so easy. Will that be the same with 26 miles? I guess only time will tell.