January 14th

Scheduled Miles: 0
Miles Ran: 0
Total Time: -
Current Weight: 174.5
Current Condition: Who knows

Sunday, as it will be for the remainder of this training period, was a long run day. I was supposed to complete 12 miles yesterday and I'm happy to say that I travelled those 12 miles plus about a half mile more. What I'm more than a bit upset about is that I didn't run the whole thing. I'm not even going get into the amount of time it took me because it'll get me upset. Needless to say, I found my first double digit run more of a challenge than anticipated.

I got up early Sunday morning - well, early for a Sunday anyway - and headed down stairs with the intention of getting my run in before the football games started. I don't normally run in the morning, though it's not a bad thing to get used to considering most marathons start early in the morning. I'm not sure if unfamiliarity really breeds contempt but I can say for sure that it produces mistakes. My mistake was not eating a proper breakfast before I set out. I should have known better but you live and learn, you know?

So, to keep from a boring recap, skip to about 10 miles in and I'm literally dying. The course I was running, mapped out during summer training, is mostly uphill on the second half, a fact I didn't think would be much of a problem. However, by the time I'm halfway though the climb my energy is fading big time. Another mile later and I've hit zero. There's absolutely nothing left in the tank and I'm not even close to home.

The crap feeling started as an intense hunger. It was like nothing I've ever felt before. The only way I can think to describe it is when a pregnant woman gets a craving for something. Obviously, I have no first hand knowledge of such things but I imagine that's what it's like. Seriously, I would have killed for a Jelly Belly sport bean or a pulled pork sandwich. And the fact that I didn't have one and wouldn't have one for quite some time put such a weight on my heart I was afraid it was going to drag under every ounce of motivation I had to keep moving.

That lasted about 15 minutes and was subsequently replace by a worse feeling of nausea. It felt like something was lodged in my throat as, all the while, my legs are giving out, dropping my pace to a slow jog. Everyone moves through phases of energy usage - simple and complex carbs go first, then the fat stores and finally the body begins breaking down muscle - and each is associated with a certain wall that must be pushed through. I swear I pushed though them all until the only thing left to burn was brain cells. It's like I'd ran myself to the equivalent of two days at Bonnaroo. To say I was out of it is an understatement.

I had not felt that bad during the entire course of the Marine Corp marathon, which I believe had a lot to do with better prep the day before and morning of on my part and the availability of food on the course. Long story short, I made it home walking a significant portion of the final two miles and proceeded to eat three sandwiches - one ham, turkey and cheese and the other two pulled pork. After satisfying my hunger, I turned my attention to satisfying my will to die, drifting off to sleep and hopefully into some kind of coma. Unfortunately, I awoke several minutes later and uncurled from the fetal position to a plethora of stiff joints and aching muscles.

Next time, I'll eat some breakfast before I go, that's for sure. Walking when you're supposed to be running is beyond depressing and yesterday will be the last time it happens. No more walking, no more shitty performances. That's just how it has to be.

By the way, I bought a new training toy to aid in the pursuit - a GPS watch. I'm so stoked to use it. I ordered online and it should be here the beginning of next week. No more estimating how far I've gone or how far I have to go. Plus, it measures heart rate and bunch of other nifty stuff.