30km/3:35:26 (18¾ miles)
As with any new distance, I was nervous before this run.
Half past four still stands as a ludicrous time to get up in the morning, but with a six o'clock start it was unavoidable if I wanted to be in any kind of shape to actually run. I had done most of my packaging and filling last night so all I had to do was eat and drink, slather on Body Glide and sun screen in the appropriate places, and get dressed.
I was pleasantly surprised by both the weather and the route. Portland has been baking for the last few days, but this morning dawned overcast and cool - perfect running weather. The route we took was two loops around the esplanade and the water front crossing the river at the Hawthorne and Sellwood bridges: one of my favourite loops, and unlike the 25K impossible to mis-navigate.
I was carrying three sets of supplies: half-strengh Gatorade in my three litre pack; half a dozen gel shots in a plastic bag, and a handful of electrolyte replacement capsules in their own plastic bag.
These capsules are new to me. I have been having problems towards the end of long runs, the classic symptom being when I die on my arse because I just cannot move any further. Warning signs include swollen hands and mild shivers. I've been trying a few things to mitigate things: the gel shots help, so did changing my gait so I wasn't working quite so hard to make progress, so did the HRM. But I knew I wasn't drinking enough, partly for fluid replacement but mainly for electrolyte replacement: I sweat a lot, and all of that sweat has salts in it that I need to try and replace. So I bought some Hammer Endurolytes and decided to try them on the 30K.
In the event it was a tremendous run.
I ran with J most of the way and C near the beginning. The HRM wasn't a great deal of use since I didn't seem to be able to keep my heart rate anywhere near my target zones (not that I have yet calculated those properly), but it did act as a constant reminder to slow down so I think it served its purpose. Doing that I found a pace that worked well and tried to stick to it (hills being my downfall because I just like pumping up them too much).
The first loop went by really quickly - I was slightly surprised how good I felt after that first nine miles. The second loop was more difficult, but it wasn't really until halfway around that I started to feel uncomfortable in any way. And the sheer joy of getting to the last aid station and being told it was only another 3½ miles to go dispelled any doubts I might have had that I might not make it.
I had been holding J back all along the route, since he was trying to go faster and needed slowing down a bit. It was that last aid station where I told him that I wouldn't be able to keep up any more, so I did the last part of the route on my own. I did more walking along that back section, particularly up the hills, but I kept moving well. I was probably doing 5+1 run/walk on average, which is much better than I was doing even at the end of the Bridge Run last week let alone the 25K!
At the end, I felt that I could have gone a little further which surprised me no end. My final time was a faster pace per mile than either of my half marathons (11:28 per mile versus almost 13:00 per mile at Helvetia), and my recovery afterwards has been much better than any long run over the last two seasons.
This benchmark was not just a matter of proving I can do distances, it was also a litmus test for me as to whether it was worth my spending the money on the marathon. Last year I registered for Helvetia and then couldn't run it; I didn't want to make that mistake with the marathon when it costs so much more to sign up.
But this was a breakthrough run. It was a fun.
Update 16-Aug-2004: Two addenda here. Firstly, my physical recovery has continued to be vastly easier than after any long run. Muscles have been sore and joints have been stiff, but I haven't had to spend entire days collapsed in a heap. I have just needed more sleep the last couple of nights.
Secondly, I have gone ahead and registered for the Portland Marathon in October.
Posted by Dunx at August 14, 2004 05:32 PM