The first 10 kms in a long slow distance run is the most challenging. Mainly it’s because I am still half asleep, not warmed up and my head isn’t in the game yet.
And trying to get your head in the game is always fun. The conversations I have with myself are intense. We argue a lot. Deciding on the route, for instance, is a point of contention. I am running out of new routes. So I am always trying to calculate distance before I set out. I don’t like looping more than once and I am not a fan of running pass the same building three times.
Of course there’s the music vs. podcast dilemma. Should I listen to music for the first hour to warm up or should I ease into it with a podcast? I can never decide.
My thoughts are all over the map. In the final hour and minutes, the only thing on my mind is finishing. This morning I thought about the John Cougar Mellencamp and Chicago songs I downloaded from iTunes. I thought about the question raised on my Facebook page, Which is better the Chicago from the 1970s or the Chicago from the 1980s?
I thought about lunch. I always think about food. I tried to remember if I had chocolate milk in the fridge. Otherwise I’d have to walk to the corner store to pick up a jug. Did I eat enough this morning? Gosh I don’t want to have to deal with a growling stomach.
By the time I hit the 11 km mark, I am usually out of my head and focused on running strong. On Saturday I started out about 9 a.m. Usually my long runs are on Sundays so this was a big change. It was slightly chilly so I wore a t-shirt and my arm sleeves. I was thankful for them because of the wind.
I felt fantastic until about the 18 km mark. I only had 10 kms to go. The remaining distance was stuck in my head and I started looking at my Garmin every two minutes. Not recommended. It was the longest 10 km in my life. Mostly because my feet and achilles were screaming blooding murder again.
After taking stock of the aches and pains, I would revert back to my regular running shoes. I’m taking back my Mizunos for the rest of my marathon training and for the marathon itself. I’m not ready to run a marathon in my minimalist shoes just yet. In time it will come.
What do you think about on your long run?
I try not to think, it makes my head hurt. And after a long run I want a least one part of my body not to hurt. Let the mind go and enjoy.