Last 20 miler before the race! Last really long run before the race (next weekend is 14, then 10 - yay for the taper)!
We were to do the Bethesda loop again starting at Capital Crescent, the same route I did on my last 20 mile run. I did not like this route at all, the first 8 miles were great, 8-12 were mediocre, 12-20 just all out sucked. It's a lot of uphill and on the last run it was a lot of heat then a lot of rain. So while I wasn't exactly excited about it I wanted to see if I could do better this time.
We had a decent sized 12:30 pace group, six of us including the coach. Maybe a mile or two in the coach let us know that, since her marathon is this weekend (good luck!) she would only be running 10, meaning we'd be left to figure out how to complete the second half of the loop on our own. Hengameh and I looked at each other with a clear sense of dread, we have NO sense of direction and from what I recall the route (through Rock Creek park, through the zoo, Beach Drive, Silver Spring) was not exactly easy to follow. Amongst ourselves we all decided that we weren't going to chance it. We had no idea if the 13s were behind us or how far ahead the other groups were. Some of our group was only running 10 anyway so most decided to run 5 down the trail, then 5 back up, then maybe 5 north? I felt like running back and forth would just kill my motivation so Hengameh and I decided to run 10 down to DC then back up, knowing the last 8 miles would be all uphill. I think it was the right choice.
We split at 5 miles when everyone else turned around. We stopped at the boathouse in Georgetown, then again at the 10 mile mark for some more fuel and a walk break. Then again at the boathouse, then the other boathouse, then the water stop. Pretty reasonable, it was a stop about every 2-3 miles. Really breaks up the monotony of running that far. I just have to get to Fletcher's, then I can take break, and I only have 5 miles left. I just have to get to the water fountain, then I can take a break, and I only have three miles left. Then, a little over 4 hours later (not including bathroom breaks but including walks) you're done.
It was a pretty relaxing run, I felt I definitely had more in tank at the end since we took it pretty easy. I had wrapped my troublesome right knee nine ways from Sunday - I had on KT Tape, a patellar strap underneath and an IT strap above my kneecap. And I had no trouble, it was a little sore but I wouldn't even put it in the minor annoyance category. I was waiting for the agony afterward, it was stiff when I got out of the car but since then... nothing. Again a little sore but not nearly as swollen as it has been. I don't know what part of the treatment did the trick but you bet I'm going to keep doing all of it through October 31st.
No comments:
Post a Comment