Long Run

Distance: not sure
Time: 90 minutes
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather Conditions: warm; 80s, 70s; late afternoon run
Location: Miraflores and Barranco, Lima, Peru
Secret weapon: Pulp

Comments: Ass-kickingly good run. Had a big dinner and big lunch so I knew there was going to be plenty in the tank and with Jarvis Cocker urging me on I decided to make it a mutha of a run. 

I settled for an hour and a half. It is twice what I have done in any run this week and probably the farthest I have run in five years.

Started strong and fell into a decent pace pretty quick. This is a bit of an achievement in and of itself so I made the decision to make the 90 minutes. I cut back a bit and concentrated on keeping my footfalls crisp and close together (one of my biggest problems in getting back into real running shape has been dragging my feet when I become tired). It went really well up to the halfway point but it was around that time I realized it was going to be a real challenge to finish the whole run.

So I really had to zone out for a big portion of it. No way was this run possible without the music and I really don't think anything other than Pulp would have gotten me through it (I downloaded a bunch of their stuff this morning on a whim and it really was perfect). The middle third of the run was a bear and the last twenty minutes were really just sheer stubborness on my part. I cranked up "Common People" as loud as I could and kept replaying it to get those last few miles in.

Afterward I was completely drained. I gave it a race level effort (but definately not a race pace). One big factor in deciding to do this today was the fact I now have two days off planned to rest up and recover. (I will probably go in and do my upper body stuff tomorrow at some point, though).

The best news was that my knee gave me zero problem before, during or after. I stretched out really well before hand, concentrating on the left leg since it was pretty clear the hamstring was a lot tighter than the right. By the time I hit the pavement, I was probably better prepared than I have been for any run to date. I am not so optimistic to think my knee problem is solved, but this is the best sign to date.

My cousin Erin's advice to me about marathon training was that the trick is getting your body used to running for several hours at a time. This run was my first test of that. I don't think I am going to try and best this one for a few weeks but it is the best piece of progress I have had since the hour runs in Florida last month.