Long Run

Early afternoon

After several hours of general lethargy, I headed over to Valley Green Inn to start my long run. It snowed again this week and the trails on the southern/eastern end of the park were a little less blazed than last week. There were some sections where I was up to my calves in snow. My goal for these long runs has been to gradually increase time of running, and let my energy levels dictate my pace and overall distance. I added some heavier leg exercises yesterday to try and simulate the later stages of a longer endurance race and I could definitely feel the fatigue setting in earlier than last week.

Pre-run: A slice of cold pizza and water. Under armour compression shorts, long pants, long-sleeve technical top, Asics Nimbus, and Yak Trax.

I started from Valley Green and headed southeast, all the way down to Ridge Ave before turning around and heading back on the eastern side of the creek. I passed Valley Green to add a few more miles and ran back as far as Rex Ave before finishing up on Forbidden Dr. I had the intention of running for 150 minutes. I brought along the chia/lemon/honey drink and took in half at 60 minutes and the other half at 100 minutes. I can't say I noticed any increase in energy levels resulting from this. However, my overall soreness in my quads and hip flexors is not what it was during the first few weeks of running long. Next week I'll try to take in more nutrients and fluids during the run. It might be time to bring in the hydration pack.

139 minutes of running. My GPS read 13.67 miles, but I could tell it was recording some funky trail patterns. I'm hoping it was slightly farther than this.

Post-run: Whey protein drink and ice bath. Light stretching.