2 Years and Counting

Who would have thought that just over 2 years ago I would wake up from a nice sound sleep to get dressed in the dark, go to the basement to perform dynamic warmup movements, then head out in the freezing cold to run 16 miles.  Not me.  When I first told people I was going to run a Marathon, they kind of chuckled at me.  Now I get up at 5am to drink, eat, and stretch before I workout.  I try to do this at least 5-6 days a week, but I always listen to my body.  When it says rest I will.  When it says push it, I do.  Today was no different.

I woke up initially at 5am and had a bottle of water and a Clif Bar to start my nutrition and hydration plan.  I did rest for another hour so that the temperature could rise some.  I performed some dynamic stretching and movements in my nice warm basement, then went outside around 7am to get started.  Todays goal was simple, 16 miles in under 2 hours.  I always find the first 5 miles of a long run the hardest mentally.  Once I get passed that first 35-40 minutes I am able to get in a zone and focus on moving forward. 

The course I took today was normal one for me, most running performed on 9 miles of a dedicated walk/run path.  The other miles are done on roads with plenty of shoulder space along with a bike lane.  I feel safe running along the road because of the wide shoulder and bike lane, most of the drivers give me plenty of space.  I am sure some of them wonder why this ass is out at 7am running in the cold.   I am sure not many of them know what it takes to be a triathlete, let alone an Ironman.  The last 2 miles today were a little tough, I could feel my calfs getting fatigued.  But I sucked it up (Training Paynes favorite saying) and maintained my pace to the finish.  During the run I ate 2 Gu's along with 20 oz of Gatorade to maintain my fluid and nutrition on the road.

Overall a good long run in under 2 hours so I met my goal for the day.  Tommorrow starts a 21 day challenge for me to try to eat healthy, no junk food/soda/beer for the next 21 days.  Trying to cut weight the right way to get back to 170lbs by the Disney Marathon, currently 182lbs.  Feeling good as the long runs increase.