8/11 long run

Don't bother reading this if you have read other entries about my long runs on Spicer road-
It's the same

Twenty-two miles is a long way to run...
Spicer road, as usual. Wanted to be running much earlier in the day than I actually made it, as usual. I left at noon. It was 85 out. Sometimes I wonder how I even have the self discipline to do this.

I had a few goals for today:

1. run the whole time
   
2. beat last week's pathetic time
3. ingest dramatically less calories during the run- which made me lose 4 pounds despite drinking over 100 oz of water.

1- though I didn't run the whole time, I only took 1 walk break and 3 rest breaks (which I consider pretty brief. I spent a total of 16 minutes breaking (except a break I added into my time at mile 7) and each break was completely necessary and surprisingly restorative.

2- Last week I clocked an embarrassing 11/mi. This week's average was 10.14/mi. Better. Not at all what I want but better is a good place to be.

3- I just read an article that said you burn roughly 2,300 calories on a 20 mile run, pretty impressive. Gu packets are about 100 cal a pop. The article said that if you try and dramatically decrease the caloric intake on a long run, you are training your body mentally to keep going when you think it can't go any further. It was interesting as an experiment because it was so hard but comforting because there is so much going on anyway it is a relief to blame the whole bundle on lack of calories.

Today's run was about embracing pain to travel through pain. There was a good deal of pain. I haven't exactly put my finger on it but I think if I go into a hard workout with the acknowledgment that it will hurt but it won't last forever and the more I can endure the pain now, during training, the better the race will turn out. Pain (physical pain from running) is an interesting thing. The best way I have ever heard it described is compared with the check engine light on your car- the pain turns on to let your body know that it cannot possibly continue this type of activity forever. That idea (along with some other really classy cliches) help me to keep perspective on the idea that I am getting stronger and becoming better each time I go.

I am eternally embarrassed by my camelback, gu and the way I look at the end of a long run when I am sprinting on the damn. I am thankful that the fisherman and sun-bathing beauties can't see me there. I think I would probably be so exhausted that if somebody actually tried to say something I wouldn't even know how to respond. Maybe I'd cry. At that point in my run I don't even know if I would be able to compose myself in a conversation of any kind.