I was supposed to run my final 20 miler before the Houston Marathon on Sunday morning, but the temperature was 19 and the wind chill was only 5, not the best training weather for that race. I decided to hold off until 10am on Monday, once the sun got out and warmed up the earth a little bit.
I probably overdressed, not being used the below freezing temperatures here in North Texas, knowing I could always drop clothing at mile 9, when I stopped to refuel.
I am following the advanced marathoner training plan from Cypress Running Club near Houston. It is designed especially for those running the Houston Marathon, and the dates even line up with the actual race date! Today's run called for a 2 mile warmup, then 7 at marathon pace (7:06), followed by 2 more at conversational pace, ramping up to 7 more at marathon pace, followed by a 2 mile cooldown.
http://cypressrunningclub.com/custom-training-plan?plan_id=A&racedate=2017-01-15&racename=Houston+Marathon
I chose to run at beautiful River Legacy Park in Arlington, TX, because the trail follow the Trinity River, then runs along Green Oaks Blvd, and connects to the Village Creek Trail, with all the trails lying in river or creek valleys. According to Strava.com, this course ended up only having 115ft of elevation, ideal for training for ultra-flat Houston.
The 1st thing I noticed was the ice. Creeks that flow into the Trinity River had frozen solid, and even slow moving water along the edges of the river had frozen. I spotted some icicles forming on a rock wall on the river bank under the Collins Street bridge. I was a little worried about my water bottle freezing, which has actually happened to me before.
Miles 1&2 were easy and it was nice to run on a flat to gently rolling surface, and I actually had a sub 8 mile 2, which is a no-no...
Miles 3-9 were fast, and had some great sweeping views of the river and surrounding river plain, but were more difficult on the way back. I actually started overheating and had to take a quick cool down breather around mile 8.
At the end of mile 9, I stopped at the car to refuel with another serving of UCAN.
Nutrition Notes: Before a long run I take a 4-6 oz. serving of raw beet juice. This helps to lower my heart rate during the run, allowing me to run faster with less effort. Also, I typically take 1 1/2 scoops of UCAN mixed with 6oz. of water before a run and again at mile 9, then supplement the later miles with GU's or bonk breaker.
Miles 9-11 were easy miles, but the cold was getting to me. I had overheated so I took off my Under Armour Coldgear hood (which does a really good job keeping the head & jaw warm) and my long sleeve tech zip-up shirt. I still had on a short-sleeve tech shirt, a ultra thin windbreaker, and a vest, but removing my hood cost me. Although I was pouring sweat from my head, my jaw was frozen and it became difficult to drink water from my bottle.
Miles 11-18 were supposed to be marathon paced, and I started off quickly at a 6:49 pace, but quickly realized this was not going to last. Something had happened to my legs, and they were stiff, and I just couldn't get the foot turnover I needed to make this happen. I pushed myself as hard as I could, and dropped my goal for this segment from 7:06 to 7:30. This section followed ultra-flat Green Oaks Blvd, then follows the Village Creek Trail, where it connects to the Blvd. just after the Randoll Mill Road intersection. This section of the run was very nice following Village Creek and running through some nice residential neighborhoods with ponds dotting the landscape everywhere. There was a turnaround at the Village Creek Historical Area, and time to head back. My pace kept dropping and my legs were on fire, and I just tried to hold on to a 7:45 pace to the 18 mile mark. At mile 17, I had to start taking rest stops every mile to let the legs relax, so I didn't pull a muscle. It was humbling, but I hope I can just attribute it to the cold weather, and not a lack of preparation.
I painfully trotted the last 2 miles back to the car and was glad to have completed this run. This run was a groundbreaker for me. Not only was it my last 20 miler before Houston, and it had the most marathon pace miles planned, but on this run I crossed the 2,000 mile mark for the year! I only need 6 more to accomplish my goal of 2016 miles in 2016. I never really thought I would hit that goal when I decided on it, but here I am. Well, I am now THRILLED about the upcoming taper!
