Basic Rules Of The Long Run

Well, well, well....

We finished our last long training run for the Mercedes Marathon this morning. During any long training run, my mind can wander to strange places and today was no exception. As the miles clicked by, I created my own "Basic Rules Of The Long Run" list of undeniable training truths.

Rule #1 - never trust the weatherman... go outside and look up. The forecast for this morning was breezy with a steady rain, changing over to snow. Actually we never got a drop of precipitation, frozen or otherwise. We spent a good hour last night and this morning obsessing over what to wear, how to layer, how often to change, etc. I knew with rain, wind, snow and temps in the low 30's the waterproof outer gear would be required, but someone please tell me... has there ever been a waterproof jacket that didn't make you sweat like a pig? So... we stashed jackets, dry gloves, dry shirts and hats so that we could change mid-run, but all for naught. Sounds like Cape Cod weather, eh?

Rule #2 - Relax. Sounds a little strange to have to mention this, but when running one must remember to breathe. Breathing is easier when you aren't tense, and it's easier to relax when you have good posture. Things start to get serious at about 12 miles, but I focused on keeping my shoulders back and my head up, eyes fixed at about 30 meters ahead (that's where Cindy usually is, not a bad view, if I may be so bold). Not surprisingly I caught a good second wind.

Rule #3 - That which does not kill me makes me stronger. No pain, no gain. Every race we run, at about this point in the training, we get pretty banged up. A lot of little nagging aches and pains. I've learned to listen to my body and take what it gives me. For example, I've learned that after about 2 hours of running my IT Band on my right leg will begin to complain. Experience has taught me how to deal with it, to relax (see Rule #2) and pay attention to my mechanics. Pain is actually my friend, sending me little warning signals and giving me all kinds of useful information. After all, that's why we call it "training". We're breaking down muscle tissue so that, when it recovers, it will be stronger.

Rule #4 - Rest is good. At about mile 18 this morning, I remember thinking, "Just 2 more miles. Then a hot shower, a hot bowl of cereal and a nap." I love naps. It's funny... when I was a child I fought my parents tooth and nail over having to take a nap. The truth is that they were really smart! The older I get the more I appreciate taking just a little time to snooze. This morning I only got in about 45 minutes, but boy, was it worth it!! I was so refreshed when I woke up.

Rule #5 - Shut up and run. I told this to myself several times today. At mile 8 I thought about how cold my nose was getting. Then I thought, "this is just training, what are you going to do on race day? Just shut up and run." At mile 14 I started to think about how tired I was. Then I thought, "this is just training, what are you going to do on race day at this point? You've barely passed halfway, so shut up and run." At mile 19 I thought about the soreness in my calf muscles. Then I thought, "this is just training, what are you going to do on race day at this point, when you're running faster and you still have more than 10k left? You gonna quit or are you gonna kick? Just shut up and run."

All this sounds a little crazy, I know, but for me, it works. We ran the last mile with a little kick, a little over a minute faster than the overall pace. Like I said earlier, my mind does strange things over the course 20 miles. Cindy has a much simpler method. She sings. Maybe I should try that sometime.