Normally, my long runs are in the mornings with my running club. But, after a fitful night of sleep, I slept well beyond my normal wakeup time. I wasn’t about to run without having my coffee, so I put it off. And put it off. And put it off a little longer. Finally, around 6:30 PM, I shuffled out the door for my scheduled nine miler.
I put nine in the books, but I’m really shocked at the loss of fitness that has occurred. Well, maybe not shocked given how inconsistent my training has been. Concerned might be a better word. The run was a Higdon 3/1 – the first 2/3 (6.75 miles) run at a normal long run pace, and the final third (2.25 miles) at race pace. I had no trouble with the first 2/3s of the run, and for a change, I actually kept it in the target zone. I picked up the pace when I hit 6.75 miles, and settled in to HM pace. For about a mile. Yikes!
Now – I’m not totally devastated for a number of reasons. First, I was woefully under fueled. I hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch, and even after dinner:
- Calorie budget:1762 calories
- Food consumed: 1937 calories
- Exercise calories: 1448 calories
- Net calories: 489 less than plan
And those 489 remaining calories were *after* dinner which was *after* my run.
Second, my issues in that last couple miles wasn’t a cardio issue. My heart rate never got into the 90% MHR range. Rather – my legs were sore and heavy. That’s something I can work on. And will over the next few weeks….
