Addicted to Exercise

The energy I saved this weekend paid off today. The group was planning a ten-mile time trial. We could not use the normal ten-mile loop because a section of the trail by Auditorium Shores was blocked off for a triathlon race. So, we ran an out-and-back route on the north side of the trail. It was a bit confusing at first. We all showed up at Zilker Park and Barton Springs to warm up, but we were in a bunch of small groups in the dark and didn’t know where the others were. I jogged around with a few people, and we went to the one-mile marker to do drills. Just before 6:30, all the crowds started showing up. We had a pretty big group after all.

Gilbert appeared and announced that he had placed the water coolers just before I-35. He started us off, and that was that. I took off with the lead group and felt all right. I did better today than I did over the weekend as far as staying focused and positive. Since we started a little later than usual, it started getting light earlier into the run. I was a few steps behind the others when I saw the water. They didn’t stop, but I did.

I chugged some water and took off again. This section of trail between I-35 and the baseball fields always seems to go by quickly. I felt a lot more energetic after the water stop. I was startled to see a huge scorpion on the trail after about half a mile. I ran over the shaky bridge and wondered when I would see the other people coming back. It turned out to be only shortly before the turn-around. I ran a circle around the six mile marker and started the way back. Between there and I-35, I saw most of the people in the group on their way out.

I was feeling pretty good, but I was ready for more cold water at I-35. I stopped again and saw a couple people coming up behind me. I was determined to maintain my position, so I took off again. I cruised along on the north side of the trail, and I heard the horns across the river as the triathlon going on over there was getting underway.

I saw a few people I knew on the trail near AHS, and that was a nice reminder to stay on pace. I felt like I dragged a little bit near the end, but according to the watch I finished strong. I ended up with 1:10:47 for the run. The watch says it was about a tenth long, but I figure it was pretty close. Either way, that’s a strong run. My heart rate numbers look good, and my legs feel good, too. It was fun to be sitting there drinking water while most of the others came in.

After all that, I joined a bunch of the others in Barton Springs for a cold soak. That felt great!

This morning we had one of the crucial workouts for the marathon. It was the pace run on the ten-mile loop. The official plan was to run the first two miles calmly to warm up and then run the rest at race pace. Gilbert had told me a seemingly silly time to try to reach a couple days ago, but I was surprisingly close.

I wanted to run by feel, so I made it a point not to look at the watch. I checked myself by mentally putting myself in the marathon and thinking about how much of that I had left to go. Anyway, I got caught up in the moment and went a little faster than planned on the warm-up, but I felt all right, so it was no big deal. After two miles, I turned it up a notch and just ran. I was all by myself then for the rest of the run. Every time my mind wandered, I just commanded it to return to the present. There are no excuses. To hit my goals, I just have to do what it takes. There were two water stops on the course, with 5 miles to go and about 2.5 to go, and since I was by myself they were pretty quick.

My splits were:

• 7:45
• 7:38
• 6:59
• 6:54
• 6:45
• 7:38
• 7:11
• 7:31
• 7:16
• 6:50
• 1:42 (0.25 miles)

That’s a pretty strong run. That’s where I want my speed to be, and I was fast at the end ofthe run. My heart rate numbers were very reasonable, so this is a real confidence builder. I did a bunch of strides at the end, and I left with my legs feeling really good.

This morning I joined the Firecracker group for a pace run around the ten-mile loop. That’s what I had been planning to do today anyway, but I think the normal group got a break and did a shorter run. We started and ended at Barton Springs, so with the extra distance to get to the loop itself I ended up with just over 11 miles in all. The first four miles or so were nice and easy, and then we turned up the heat. Several of the people were planning to really blast the last couple miles, but I decided that a nice solid run the rest of the way back would be perfect for me. So, I picked the pace I wanted and pretty much held it the last seven miles. I felt a bit dehydrated and had to stop for water twice in the last few miles (Lamar and MoPac), but according to the watch I still did a good job of keeping the pace up. My heart rate range was fine, and my legs feel great. It was really nice to have a dedicated group of runners out there doing the same thing, too. I was in the middle of the pack, so it was easy to stay motivated.

This morning I met the group for a quick lap around the ten-mile loop. The plan was to split it in half, doing the second five five minutes faster than the first five. The plan went out the window quickly because my watch died when I tried to start it. So, I ran with the lead pack for the first five miles, had a quick sip at the water stop there, and then took off at a little higher effort level. I ran pretty well after that, but I fell back quite a way from the people in front. The second half of the route also had a few detours because of the flooding. One section wasn’t blocked but probably should have been, but since I was already committed, I ran right through some pretty deep water. The final detour took us off the trail and out on the street, so there was an annoying wait at a stoplight with half a mile to go. I made up for that by really blasting that last half mile. All in all, I was pleased with the run. I was going just by effort level, though. I don’t really know what I did. I did a few stretches and then left, feeling really pretty good.