Shtep In Time, Fellas! Shtep In Time!

I treated myself and the missus to one of the ugliest long runs on record this morning. The idea was to cover 20 miles or 3 hours whichever came first. I had taken the previous day off, icing and watching college football. I revised my pace goal to accommodate the extra distance. We decided to sleep in an extra hour for a 7 am start. I thought that would be ok because it had been cooler out in the mornings and..never mind. Should be good and ready and rested, do you concur? As soon as I planted the left foot I knew it would be a long morning.

I tip toed on the left side for the first mile and was breathing like a werewolf by the second. Inefficient. We made a single pit stop at the marina at the 3 mile mark and carried on afterward non-stop for the entire loop.

I remembered an article Kevin Beck wrote in running times citing John Kelloggs' views on efficiency in fuel burning. I guess we get about 2000 calories to burn before the tank is empty. I estimated that I was burning way more than 100 a mile.

I tried every tactic, choppy little steps, longer strides, lowered shoulders, all the relaxation techniques I could muster. It only netted a very labored and consistent 8:30 pace. By the 16 mile mark I was sweated out and cramping behind the knees. The pace slipped to 9mm, then 9:30 and as much as I wanted to call it a day, I didn't feel there would be any walking happening once I stopped...just that neat rigor mortise-like stiffening of the sticks. We made the loop. It was about 1/2 mile shy of the 20 miles I set to do (I forgot about all the offshoots for water that we normally take that I don't do now).

We made it to the truck where I splayed out in the bed, cramping like no ones' biznezz. I got what Bobby Bouchet' called "the dehydration". The few times this has happened to me before I've had the good fortune to be alone so no one got to see the crampshow. Today Robin was with me. I'm panting and the core is getting hotter and I'm seizing up and thinking of puking (which I have never done) and generally behaving like a little girl.

Robin was great but she also wanted to know why I (we/us runners) do this to our bodies. How do you explain it? That I want to see what this 46 year old body that I've abused by digging ditches and lifting things wrong, and kneeling for hours a day for years and years when I was a youngster is capable of? That I feel alive when I'm doing it? That I'm concerned that if I stop doing it that I won't be able to come back?

We got home and I crawled into the pool (it was a very cool 60 degrees or so) and drank everything in sight and wonder of wonders, emerged and got a shower and we went out for breakfast.

I know my training is teetering on the red line.. .and at that I'm only running 5 days a week. I'm being ultra conservative with my quality workouts, and I'm not remodeling a room or painting a house in the midst off all this like I usually do. And it's still not enough. I keep waiting for this wave of fitness and form to catch up with all the groundwork I've laid and it ain't.

I'm left wondering if today's fun run was due to not enough recovery from the race Thursday (how much is needed?), not enough water drinkin' yesterday, not the thing to do to attempt 20 miles on my struggling and weak left side?

I guess I'll find out next Sunday.

I can't wait!!