Finish What You Start
Sorry I missed last night. I didn’t finish my workout run until after 10PM and I went straight to bed so I could get up for today’s long run. Last nights workout was good. It was another 3x8 with negative splits….I felt solid.
This morning I didn’t get up until 6AM. I wanted to start running in the 5AM hour because I knew it was going to be pretty hot today. The earlier I could get out the better chance I had to beat the heat. I ended up hitting the trail at 620AM and I struggled from the beginning. I wore my vest and brought a lot of nutrition plus four bottles of water totaling about 2,000ML. I figured this should be enough to get me through.
Normally I struggle a bit in the beginning and then loosen up after about 6 miles or so. I think last week it took me 8 miles to get loose. This week…..it never happened. I struggled through EVERY SINGLE MILE. It was super tough. I was greeted by a Coyote right when I got to the lake which was pretty cool. Here it is.
The plan was to run out to about 13.33 miles (I love that number) then turn around and come back. That would get me to a marathon (26.2 miles) today. Long story short, I ended up running out of water at mile 18. As I struggled through each mile and it got hotter I drank more water more quickly. I pushed through to mile 20 and then threw in the towel. Here is how that run ended up.
I went home and rehydrated and planned to be done for the day. However, the competitor in me couldn’t take it. I hate giving up. My lack of preparation was the reason I failed and I couldn’t take it. I decided I was going to finish what I started. Initially I figured I would go finish the remaining 6 miles at night when it cooled down. Then I decided that I would punish myself a bit….not sure why I do this but I do. I looked at how hot it was at the moment and it was 99°F. That seemed like a good enough punishment. Then to add to that I decided I would tack on an extra mile for good measure. So I did it. Here is what the weather was when I got back.
So this was my broken marathon today. I am glad I finished the miles I planned to. I am still a little bummed I didn’t finish it all in one shot like I planned but you live and you learn. So overall I finished a little over 27 miles today with over 3,000 feet of climbing…..not bad. The rest of the day has been spent with the family and making sure I am filling myself with a ton of water to rehydrate myself.
