Distance: 22 miles
Time: 3:39:01
Pace: 9:57/mi
Comments: The big monster. I wasn't looking forward to it in the least and it was every bit as horrible as I expected.
The problems following my regular runs this week prompted me to take Saturday off completely and to initiate a pretty aggressive icing regimen on my calves to deal with the knots. Generally, I was just dragging ass all week due to the sheer number of miles I've been racking up.
So the brisk winter air wasn't pleasant this morning and every sinew in my body said "Uh Uh" as I took to the street. I kept playing the 'just one more mile' game until I had racked up enough distance to make turning back seem stupid.
But my pace was no great shakes. I kept it abnormally slow at the start while I babied my right calf and the lack of reserves on the back end kept me from ever ramping it up. That said, it was not nearly as much of a singular battle with fatigue like the last three miles of the 20-miler two weeks ago.
I downed three of the Clif Shots they should be using in the race and went through a liter of water which I carried with me. I think, energy wise, I should be fine for the race if I carb up sufficiently beforehand.
Conditions
Hour: 7:30 a.m.
Surface: concrete/asphalt/dirt
Weather: sunny
Temperature: 33 - 46 degrees
Humidity: 93 - 76 percent
Wind: Calm
Location: Chandler/Tempe/Mesa/Gilbert, Arizona
Shoes: Asics
Sin Musica
Injury update: A symphony of pain from start to finish. The knot in my lower right calf showed up less than a mile in and had me really worried if I could finish. It got worse, but not terribly so and, by mile 12 it became a single issue among a litany of other sufferings. Generally, my upper quads, groin and hips were surprisingly tender.