These are the times that try men's... legs

This is one of those times that challenge our resolve as runners I guess. I've had to deal with challenges like weather and such while training, but this morning was the first training run where I felt a physical challenge that had no real external source.

First, not related to anything except challenges, I am writing this on my iPhone from a veterinarians office. I am leaving the country tomorrow on business and a) my computer died (thankfully its backed up and under warranty) and b) my dog is having a minor issue but not one I wanted to leave untreated until I get back in a week. So here I sit knowing I will be picked up tomorrow morning before 5:00 and I'm not even packed. So please excuse any strange iPhone auto-corrections.

But I digress...

This morning my training schedule called for a 20 mile run. My longest to date. I had a bad feeling since last night. First, after being real good all week about staying hydrated, I completely forgot yesterday and barely had anything to drink all day. Then, after eating supper I realized it may not have been the best dinner choice for the night before a challenging run. Finally, and I think worst of all, I didn't get to bed as early as I wanted, and then I couldn't get to sleep. And I needed to get up at 4:00.

Well, I did get up at 4:00 and was on the road at 4:30. For my long runs I use a local bike trail. When I got there it was still dark, there was no moon and the trail is unlit so it was literally pitch dark. I mean I looked down and could not see the ground. Obviously I needed light so for the first hour or so - until the sun came up - I ran by the light of my iPhone flashlight app. I knew that this meant I was draining my battery more quickly than usual and I was worried I would run out if charge. (I did luck out here, it ran out if charge just as I finished the run.)

Another challenge was that my iRunner app - which I use to track distance - was acting up. For the last few runs I've been running it and another Nike app simultaneously and I don't think they play well together. (I've been using the Nike app to help this guy win a trip to Iceland by tweeting my runs.) And every time I had to mess with the apps the flashlight would go off so I needed to come to a dead stop as I could not see a thing. Needless to say this meant that the first five miles or so were not exactly barn burners.

Once the sun came up things got much better. It was actually a perfect morning for a run - cool and clear. Still, I just felt "meh" and just could not really get myself going. I didn't feel bad per-se, just sort of low energy. Plus my legs felt tired and sore. I also started feeling real hungry at about mile 15 despite having a gel every hour or so - I think I should have eaten more before I left. That said, I was basically ok up to about mile 18. Then I sort of crashed and really had to dig deep to push on. The last mile was particularly rough and in the end I switched from my usual 1 minute run/30 second walk interval to 30 second run/1 minute walk.

Still, I finished the 20 miles, and I feel pretty good about that. I'm reading a book by Jeff Galloway and in it he writes about how runners tend to hit a wall right at whatever their previous longest run was. That definitely seemed to be what happened to me. So, when I have my next real long run - 23 miles in 3 weeks - I'll make sure have a good carbo meal the night before, keep myself well hydrated, get plenty of sleep and have a good meal before I leave in the morning. Plus I'm investing in one of those headband lights!