Watt's Running

Yesterday I ran the last miles of the Austin Marathon. It was 22.5 miles and took 3:37 or 9:39/M. I felt strong for most of it. I again used chocolate-chip cookies as my fuel (as opposed to Clif Shots) and they seemed to work. I was able to eat them with delight and without gagging. I would run miles with the sweetness swirling in my mouth. Nice! The end was tough because I had to unexpectedly run zig-zag across the UT campus, across Dean Keeton, down Guadalupe, across MLK, down San Jacinto, across 11th, down Congress, and across 4th. Ugh! During those last miles I could only put one foot in front of the other. See the race route. Now why am I doing this long run even though I’m not running the marathon? Well it’s because it’s part of the running class that I’m taking. I do what I’m told. Also it makes me stronger (I think). So I do it. I’m looking forward to the 3M half next week and the Austin half in mid-February.

I ran the first and last miles of the Austin Marathon today. Our training group, that is, the beginners, were supposed to run 16 miles, but I decided I needed to up it to 18 miles, that is, what the intermediates were supposed to run. So now you should be saying. Why are you running 18 miles when you’re not planning on running the marathon? That’s an interesting question and one I really can’t answer. All I can say is that I had planned to do all the training, but not run the marathon so I’m still doing that. Note a few days ago I signed up for the last three races of the year – the RunTex Twenty, the 3M Half Marathon, and the Austin HALF Marathon (yes, only the half – I’m retired from the running the marathon). Since I was doing 20 miles next weekend I decided that I should do 18 miles to prepare for the race next weekend. Whatever that means. Yet I’m having misgivings now about signing up for the RunTex Twenty. I don’t know what got into me. That’s 20, two-zero, miles. But what is done is done. Now I have to follow through. Back to the run today… During an early part of today’s run I caught up and passed Sadie saying hello on the way by. Then near the end she caught up to me at a water stop and asked how old I was. I told her 59 and she said that it was remarkable (or something like that). Well a few minutes later and about a half mile down the road I was beat, started to walk and Sadie yelled at me and spurred me on to start running again. Thank you Sadie I needed that. I finished in 2:47 for 18.3 miles or about 9:08/mile.

I ran 18 miles from Runtex at Gateway in far north Austin to Rogue in downtown east Austin. The course was simplified (read this as less hills, because Ruth felt sorry for us after last week’s super hilly course). For some unknown reason I felt strong running and didn’t get stiff. Maybe it was the cookies I ate. You see the night before I found out I had only one Clif Shot for the entire run. So I filled a baggie with four chocolate chips and a few brownie cookies. Each water stop after about 5 miles I had some – messy but yummy. I never minded the flavor in my mouth unlike Clif Shots or other gels. I’m now wondering if those cookies were magic since today’s run was so good. Maybe I’ve not been fueling myself well. I ran with Keith, Richard and Terry. After the first water stop Keith went on ahead and was gone. I never saw him again. At that stop I waited for Richard and Terry who were behind me, but I didn’t realize that they didn’t stop and continued on. So for the next leg until the next water stop I was alone and wondering how I missed them. I kept up my pace and chased a crowd of people about a tenth of a mile ahead of me. I caught them at the second water stop and found Richard and Terry with them so ran with them until Lake Austin Blvd around mile 11 when I slowly went out in front. They caught me at the Mopac bridge and then on the trail I went out ahead again. Next Richard caught me at the Town Lake trail mile 0, but I kept pulling ahead. Somehow I just felt comfortable running at my own faster pace today. I wasn’t as stiff today. What’s up with that? Up Waller to Rogue, which typically is a death march, was not so bad either. I finished in 2:51:27 or 9:28/mile. Not bad if I say so myself. And Richard arrived about a minute after that, and Terry a few minutes later. I drove Mike, in Geezer’s group, north back to Runtex, and headed home. Good run. Here is a link to the route.