Saturday, September 14, 2013

15k and first blister!

Awful rainy Saturday morning for me personally looked like morning of a big battle with very worthy and experienced adversary - my laziness!

As I've written before - Saturday is the day of big run - 15k. And I did it. See how it was:

5am - got up with smile and had a cap of hot tea with cookies. Hour of googling and reading motivational articles helped me to wake up and tune.

7am - It's show time. It's time to go out of your comfort zone.
As I already new, 1 lap around the lake ~ 1,4 к, which meant I had to run 11 laps. From previous experience I new that in 1hr of running my body will ask for carbohydrates, and I took few of my favorite cookies with me. Ideally it should be specially prepared gels, but I was not good in this yet, that's why - 3 cookies (there is something magic in this number)...

Enough "bla bla". Easy warm-up, tendons are ready, heart beats in right rhythm...



0-5к - it's going well. Starting pace - 6 min/кm, I feel like this is the best pace for me running to long distances. I prefer to not speak to anybody, because it will affect my breathing. This is not what I want to feel going to beat my personal record.

5-9к - Everything was cool! I was breathing easy like if I was walking and not running. It made me smile to everyone I met on my way. I got used with load, found the proper pace and GOT HUNGRY... I thought my body deserves a reward - first cookie disappeared. By the way eating and running are not something you can easily do in parallel, but you have to. My arrangement with myself was - 2 more laps and I deserve the next cookie.

10к - Started feeling easy tingling pain on the left. First alarming sign. Something similar I felt during my first 10k. Than I decided to continue and if it gets stronger, will stop. Thankfully I felt good and continued. At the end of each lap I was breaking  invisible red ribbon, as symbol of my new personal record... and continued running...

11к - Pain went down and I feel it in the belly bottom left. The only way I could address this pain - to slow down. I don't know why, but I started to inhale in my belly, probably hoping to divert muscles attention from the pain :) Absurdly, right :) But it worked! Self-healing deserved second cookie :)

14к - Started feeling pain in the joints of the legs... As real optimist I said to myself: - "It is cool, man. Previous time you felt this pain 4k before. You are doing better!". I was trying to get rid of those thoughts. The smallest change in pace had big affect on my feelings. It felt like trying to run few seconds faster made me two times heavier. Probably that pace was my future marathon pace, which is bad... I have to improve it, but, obviously, not that day... Just kept running as fast as I could...

15к - felt light pain in ankle. I guess it was normal, taking in consideration that it was my first 15k. I had read before that this pain is not something you have to be afraid of. It takes some time and your body gets used with it and doesn't worries you any more.

Finish - the thickest tape, tumultuous, unheard-unseen applause and small sweet medal - third cookie :)

Here are statistics:


Generally speaking, I'm very happy that I started this long sport trip. Because this is my natural necessity -  to be busy 24/7. And this is exactly what I need - useful, fascinatingly. You always have to think about next running workout, no running - swimming, no swimming - than cycling :). B.T.W. I found solution for keeping bicycle at home, may be it is time to buy it?

Tomorrow (Sunday) is the only day I can rest and I already have mixed feelings of fear and happiness about the next week - I'll have to run 6k warm-up and than different acceleration, deceleration, fortlec. I'm not gonna kill myself, but hope my energy plus desire is good enough for keeping to the plan... My optimistic part says - "You could do it before, will do it further as well".

Thank you for your time. In case everything goes well, 20k is waiting for me in two weeks (almost half marathon)


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