long run recap

Aha! Great success!

My 18 miler today was a piece of freaking cake! I went into it with a new game plan, based on how last week's 17 mile run went. Based on my own experience and some reading I've been doing about how long runs should not be much longer than three hours, I decided that I was putting too much stress on my body by running so slowly on long runs. The slower my pace, the longer I run, and this could lead to unnecessary stress on my body that isn't going to help my training any. I made some changes based on this, and also changed a few other things.

• I increased my pace by 60-90 seconds compared to last week. This is a fairly drastic increase. I also ran negative splits (second half faster than the first), which really helped keep up my momentum. 
• I took brief walking breaks when my back and shoulders started tightening up. I would stretch while walking for a minute, then run again. Halfway through the run, I stopped for a minute to stretch my legs. These breaks completely prevented the issues I had with tight muscles causing terrible form at the end of last week's run. 
• I hydrated like crazy. And had to stop to pee four times in the first half of the run. I think this helped me a lot (the drinking, not the peeing). In addition to my fuel belt I now have a handheld bottle. I thought I had been hydrating enough on long runs, but now I know that even more is better.
• I ran one 9-mile loop twice. Having two even loops was a mental advantage, because I knew I was already halfway done when I finished the first one and stopped to refill my bottles. This route was also made up of very familiar roads that I knew I liked to run on. It also happened to be nasty dog free! Running a familiar route took away the uncertainty of not knowing how far I had to go on any given road, and allowed me to relax and enjoy the scenery without obsessively checking my Garmin.

All together, these factors allowed me to complete my run feeling strong, and without any shuffling or hunchbacking (nice vocab word, right?). I enjoyed most of it and didn't have to play any of the mind games I used to get through last week's run. Rather than struggling through the last three miles, my legs felt pretty good until about the last half mile. Even then, I was able to finish at a nice slow pace without my form getting terrible.

Although I completed last week's long run, I was nervous about having to run further because the last few miles were such a struggle. I was starting to wonder how I could possibly make it to 20 miles- or 26. But, today's run was so great that I'm feeling confident again. I won't be breaking any records, but with a smart strategy I can finish my first 20-miler in two weeks.