Back on track

I knocked out my 20-miler Saturday morning. I was excited to get outside because my long runs have been curtailed due to the weather and track practice (not that I'm complaining). I didn't want to carry a lot with me for three hours, so I decided on two 10-mile loops on a route I had never run before.

There were positives and negatives with the route. Close to half was along highways. Granted, there wasn't much traffic. But the sound of cars and tractor trailers zooming by on the concrete road surface did not create the best running environment. The other half was on dirt roads. Except for a small section completely decimated by the recent blizzards (huge ruts and lots of mud), these made for good running. A friendly dog even joined me for about a mile, a nice change from the rez dogs.

My main worry about running two loops as opposed to one 20-mile loop or out-and-back was my mental state at the halfway point. Usually, I reach my dirt road knowing I have less than a third of a mile to go. This time, I'd have 10 more to run. But I handled the change well. As I ran up the road back to the building, my mantra was, "Halfway there. Halfway there..." And I kept my pit stop short. I refilled my water bottle, sucked down a gel, and turned back around to do it all over again.

The loop I ran was a square with a squiggle to and from the property. Thus, I encountered the nasty southerly headwind directly for about a quarter of the run. Throw in some hills and it was a total bear. My only saving grace was it coincided with the dirt portion of my route. Good surface and no traffic.

Afterward, I felt reasonably okay considering I had just run for three hours along a moderately difficult course. I was able to make the hour-and-a-half drive to and from Pierre later without cramping. I was a bit lethargic earlier today, and that was even after sleeping 11 hours last night, which is very unlike me to begin with. But an afternoon nap proved refreshing. And as is the case after any of my long runs, it seems like I haven't been able to shovel enough food into my mouth. Please feed me!

I've recovered well and, more importantly, my training is back on schedule. I plan to do a 23-miler in two or three weeks. The half marathon is on May 16th and I may be able to squeeze in between 16 and 18 the following week. And that should do it. I feel pretty confident at this point. I can't replicate the elevation I'll encounter during the marathon; otherwise, I've challenged myself with the terrain and weather conditions. Bring it on baby!