Lessons in long distance running

Date : 24 January 2010
Time : 5:07pm

After lazing around for the whole week, with minimal mileage, I decided to head out for a 22k, with the Putrajaya Half Marathon in mind.

I did the NB 30k a week ago, and in a way, was still recovering. The last time I did that distance was at the SG marathon, and that was about 6 weeks ago. The 2nd thing was the decison to lay off coffee except for the morning Nescafe.

My right achilles tendon was tight and there were lingering effects from the cramps I had in my left calf. Now I know the tingling toe and foot was a precursor to cramps.

I headed out for a run 3 times this week; 6k on Wed, 6k on Thur and a measly 3k on Sat. Too lazy to wake up :> Too lazy to wake early this morning as well :)

After finishing up some work for next week's team meeting at work, I felt like a run. The sky was cloudy, and it looked pretty cool outside, and it was only 4.30pm.

With such nice weather and lots of time, I was thinking of doing either 2 hour run or 22k, whichever was more (Ha! Ha! 22k in 2 hours, I must be dreaming!).

Had my usual dose of Accelerade prepared and headed out. The first few km was done at a steady pace, without any push. It felt good, although there were a few kinks that needed working out.

Moving towards the 12k mark, I was getting in the groove, and finishing the distance didn't seem to be much of a problem....well, I spoke too soon.

Come 13k, I could feel my left foot tingling, and my right tendon tighten up. Things started going downhill pretty quickly. The legs started to fell heavy pretty fast, as if I was already running out of glycogen to burn.

As this was more of a joy run, I decided to cut it short and take it easy, taking lots of walk breaks. Getting injured during a non training period is very little fun.

By the time I finished the run, I clocked 18km at an average speed of 10.1kph, the lowest since.... I don't know when.

Well, let's count the lessons we learnt;

1. Never underestimate the distance, even it's something you've done numerous times in the past. Make sure of plan B in mind.
2. Be aware of your body condition. What's on the mend and what's at risk.
3. Hydration - with Malaysia's weather, it's always a good idea to carry some liquid if you're doing anything more than 12k if you're running between 8am to 6pm.
4. If something doesn't feel right, ABORT! No point risking injuries on any run.

Well, next week is a travel week, and most of my running may be on a treadmill. Hopefully, I'll feel better by next week.