Gatorade-cicle (a long training run report)

Today was a cold one!  I realize it’s Winter and that it’s supposed to be cold, but during this unseasonably-warmer-no-snow-kind-of-New-England Winter, my cold tolerance is a bit low.  Anyhoo….

Had just shy a 15 miler on today’s agenda.  My friends Martyn and Andy offered to join me.  Scott usually runs with them, but sadly, he’s injured.  Over the last couple of weeks, he’s been nursing a foot issue which seemed like it was starting to rally.  Yesterday, the opposite calf struck him down.  I’m not sure what’s going on, but it stinks to be injured and I feel for him.  I took one for the team though, and jumped in his place to run with the guys. 

I was a little nervous about being “that slow runner” and holding them back.  I had a laundry list of things that didn’t feel quite right today, but I refused to acknowledge them, let alone utter them out loud.  I’ve been pushing the sore throat back down as far as it can go, my stomach was “eh”, my shins were questionable.  And did I mention it was cold (~12 degrees)?  And windy.  Enter wind chill.

Our route was a hilly one.  Aren’t they all??  It’s one of my favorite routes actually because of its peacefulness, its winding roads, its hills.  There’s a pretty reservoir along the way where we usually see a number of ice fishers camped out there.  This year?  No ice.  The only ice seemed to be caked onto my mittens, my facemask, and my bottle of Gatorade.  It was one of those days where the wind was blowing so consistently strong that my facemask froze along with my sippy top on my Gatorade bottle.  My layers were well situated however, so I was never truly cold – except for my eyes which did their share of tearing up.

At approximately mile 11, Martyn and Andy jumped into Scott’s truck (Scott had come out to check on us and provided a great water stop).  Martyn had raced yesterday and won his age division!  Andy had run a long-ish run yesterday as well.  I thanked them profusely for the great company and the inspiration to hasten my pace.  Running with people who are faster than you is a sure way to test your own mettle and maybe run a little faster than you thought you could. 

The last 3+ miles felt like the “marathon shuffle”, but I kept on moving forward.  I enjoy running solo as much as I enjoy running with friends, but I was feeling a bit beaten up.  The faster earlier miles along with the wind was taking its toll on my energy level.  I probably could’ve used a 2^nd GU at some point, but I never quite timed it right out there.  That’s why long runs are so important – better to make timing mistakes or pace adjustments during a long training run than during the actual marathon!

Off now to ice the shins (preventive measures) and put on my awesome compression calf sleeves.  If nothing else, the compression sleeves make my legs feel warmer.  And after this morning’s Gatorade-cicle run, I’m all about being warm.