Gettin' There

I did my longest run ever yesterday, just shy of 23 miles. I'm not sure of the exact time or distance because I forgot to turn on my trusty run tracker till I was about a mile or so out. Over the rest of my run I managed to average just under a 9 min pace. What that actually means is that I started off at a good clip and finished up at an ungraceful stumble. I'm pretty convinced that anything over 18 or 19 miles is gonna hurt, no matter what you do. The upside is that I was more careful about eating plenty over the morning before the run and giving myself a couple hours between lunch and the start of the run. As a result, the first sixteen miles or so were pretty enjoyable. I have stopped listening to music when I run. I was talking to a buddy about having trouble keeping pace as the tempo of the music changes. He said he had the same problem, and never ran with music. I'm finding that the quiet is a better fit for me. For one, aside from the pace thing, I end up with sweat in my ears when I wear headphones and am always frustrated by the headphone cord bouncing around or getting tight when I turn my head. Also without the music, I find that my mind wanders less and I focus more on the run itself. I think I have about 13 miles of day to day things to think about. On a long run like yesterday there is a sort of magical period between mile 13, when I run out of day to day stuff, and mile 18, when I just want to curl up and die, when I find myself in this almost meditative peace. It is this quiet period before the body starts yelling obscenities at the brain when my mind is clear and there is nothing but appreciating what it means to travel with complete independence. There is no motor, no pedals, no gears, tires or wings...sometimes no road. Just you, your breath, footsteps and the distance. I like that.

I did have some company yesterday. I got chased by several sets of barking dogs on Sierra Highway. Fortunately this is was a common occurrence running back home on East Texas county roads. I find the best way to deal with an aggressively territorial country dog who is chasing you is to turn around and jog backwards while making eye contact with the dog, growling, and harboring thoughts of extreme aggression toward the dog (I figure if they can smell fear, this is like the opposite. it also works on mosquitoes I swear!). This almost always sends them running back home. If this doesn't work, try chasing the dog also while growling. I have only been bitten by a dog once in many years of running. I was able to punch it squarely in the nose (also while growling) and never had a problem with the animal again.

As of tomorrow it is one month to the marathon. I am still a little short on the entry fee but Richard (the awesome race coordinator) is being really patient with me. I'm in the process of ordering all kinds of clothes and kit. Hopefully next weekend I will be able to head north and actually do some running in the cold and snow. YeeHaww!