Our long run this past weekend was a 12-miler. Long runs, one every weekend, is THE main thing we do together as a group. Typically our long runs are on Sundays, but this time it was on a saturday due to some scheduling issues. I ended up going to the anti-war rally in San Francisco on saturday, and so had to miss the group run. But I was determined to get my mileage in for the week, so I decided to step out by myself on sunday morning, and do the 12 miler alone.
Our group weekend runs usually start super-early (by my standards) - 8am! But this sunday, since it was just going to be me, myself and I doing the running, I could start whenever I want! I decided to make the most of that, slept in later than usual. By the time I had added some gatorade mix into my water and parked my car by the santa cruz harbor (the starting point of the run), it was 9.30am! But I was feeling good and raring to go.
The course involved a long loop around the harbor, then along the santa cruz boardwalk, followed by running along the roads and pavements on the hills adjacent to the coast - running from the east to the west end of Santa Cruz. The bulk of my run was along this stretch of road called "west cliff drive" - which is a road that runs along the hilly bluffs that overlook the west santa cruz oceanfront. A paved walkway also runs along this stretch of road. And the moment I stepped onto West Cliff, I realized that this wasn't going to be a lonely run after all. The trail was bustling with people - runners, walkers, people with dogs, cyclists, moms and dads with kids in strollers. Looking sideways toward the ocean - waves crashing into rock, boats sailing, surfers attempting to tame waves and losing in that battle, and so on. It is such a different experience from say, running in the forest (which is what we did the weekend before). Running in the forest is truly beautiful, but there was something to be said for running amongst the hustle and bustle as well. I was thoroughly enjoying it.
The goal of this weekend's run was to get used to the feeling of running at our target marathon pace. The idea is to start off by running easy for the first 3 miles or so, to warm up. Then to run the next 4-6 miles at marathon pace - i.e, at around 9min/mile. And then run the last 3miles easy to wrap it up. My "marathon pace" stretch started at the beginning of west cliff drive, all the way to Natural Bridges State Park, and back. I didn't have my watch on me (currently broken after its battery died and its replacement didn't work), so I had no absolute way of monitoring myself... instead I decided that I would just run at a slightly higher level of exertion.
I cruised along till the turnaround point at Natural Bridges just fine. I had already done 3 miles at "marathon" pace. It was in the next mile that I started to feel it, and for the first time during the day, I started looking forward to the end. Still continuing on, I decided that I would resume people-watching to amuse myself. Turning to my left, looking at some of the houses that overlooked the ocean, I saw three kids sitting on the patio of a house. They looked at me, and then, hesitantly, waved. Almost as if I was in a passing train or something! I waved back, upon which the kids waved more vigorously and gave some of the most beautiful smiles I ve ever seen - and then the road took a slight bend and I lost them. Just a fleeting moment, but my spirits were lifted immensely. The next mile was breeze. Midway through the mile, I realized I was cruising and feeling extremely good about myself. Was this the fabled "runner's high"? Or was this just a result of those kids waving at me? Whatever it was, it really made my day.
I ran the last "marathon pace" mile hardest, and was ready to take a break by the time the 6 middle miles were done. Only 3 more easy miles to go. Soon, I was at the west end of the harbor. My car was at the east end - almost there! But these last two miles would turn out to be psychologically hard - since it involves a big loop around the harbor, a small channel of water separating the the two sides. You can see the other side and the end point, but you are just out of reach. Soon enough though, it was all over. As I reached the end, it was 11.45am, and the fog was starting to come in! It seemed like the fog had been just waiting for me to finish up.
The change of pacing during the run took its toll - I had sore knees and shoulders through sunday afternoon. Icing, and 9 hours of sleep that night helped quite a bit. But I must say I m looking forward to the next time I'll get to run alone on West Cliff Drive...
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5 comments:
How do you keep track of distance?
sore knees are understandable, why shoulders?
Bharani:
Reg distance: well, it depends. In this particular case, most of the course was alongside road, so you can measure the distance by looking at maps online. Also, the section of west cliff drive that I describe above, is a common 10k (6.2 mile) race course, out and back. So half of that is 3.1 miles.. Also, with running you do develop a sense of approximate distance based on your exertion level and time (esp. if it is mostly flat surface).
When we run trails,usually there are mile-markers (or atleast trail signs and mileage every few miles)
Sujana:
I read somewhere that sore shoulders is a result of "bad upper body form", and that my shoulder and neck region might not be relaxed enough. This muscular tension can apparently lead to fatigue during long runs.
What sort of shoes are you wearing? Regular sneakers made for running or cross-training or anyhting special? Is there any measure of how much of the aches that you describe are due to poor body condition and how much is owed to improper equipment?
Bharani:
I have terrific shoes. Thanks to them, I ve been injury free for 2.5 years after ~700+ miles of running. (just replaced the old pair with a new pair of exactly the same shoes - Brooks Adrenaline GTS 4). They are running shoes, purchased at a running store - where there's actually someone who knows about running, and all issues related to foot type, pronation, supination etc and can evaluate what shoe type you need, and what exact needs to be compensated for (indeed this is the most important investment one can make). When I purchased my first pair of shoes, I had no clue, but just walked into a running store and the guy (who was a high-school running coach) took care of me. For more on shoes, see this article from Runners World
No, my aches are due to my conditioning (or lack thereof). And also I ought to stretch more, build more core strength, so on and so forth.
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