Getting in My 20
Posted on 27. Jan, 2010 by Jeff Lambert in Play & Exercise
I’ve really been trying to get in at least 20 miles of running each week. I’ve been pretty good at it and am motivated to keep things going. Last week I was put to the test as I didn’t get my 3 to 4 runs in and come Saturday, the last day of my run week, I only had completed 5.5 miles. Ahhhhh!
What did I do? Well, I decided it was time to cowboy up, so, I got onto Buckeye Outdoors and plotted a new run. I knew that running to the Rowell Ranch Rodeo grounds and back was 10 miles, so, figured I’d just extend it out another 2.5 miles or so. Well, extending the outbound leg by 3 miles took me to the end of the line where Dublin Canyon Road intersects with Foothill Boulevard in Pleasanton. Hmm, 16 miles… am I up for this? I don’t think I’ve run 16 miles since I was training for a marathon about 16 years ago. I knew I could do 13 as I pushed through a very hilly 13 with my good friend Anthony when he was visiting from Houston. What the heck, tally ho!
Well, it had rained a great deal all week, so, I was quite happy when I saw a lot of beautiful, blue sky as I set out. Things went pretty well for about four miles, at which point my body revolted with my lower intestines upping the ante. After another mile or so I knew I’d need a stop somewhere before my 16 miles was completed and probably a lot sooner. It dawned on me that there were a couple of hotels at the middle mark, so, I carried on and did my best to distract myself by focusing on the other pains. Okay, I was otherwise feeling fine but did do my best to not focus on the potential impending doom. Might I just say that the Marriot Hotel in Pleasanton has lovely accommodations? Well, they do, and I’ll certainly keep them in mind anytime I’m in the area and need a pit stop.
The run was much more enjoyable, even after turning around and climbing back up Dublin grade. However, when I passed back by the rodeo grounds it did start to rain. This was at about 11 miles into the run. Fortunately, it was a fairly light rain, but steady. Think it all but stopped about one and a half miles later. Didn’t really matter to me as by that time my thighs were feeling depleted. The last couple of miles were making me wonder why I had done this. The last mile is pretty much all up hill and not something I was looking forward to. Needless to say, my pace at this point wasn’t my usual but I did persist and was truly happy to reach home.
Yay! I got my 20 miles in and was astonished that my pace was 8:40 per mile. And I got to try my new purchase, The Stick. I don’t know if it was this little tool or not, think it was, but I was able to roll out my muscles and I didn’t get any debilitating muscle aches in the days that followed. You know, those stiff muscles that make you go locked knee when you walk? It actually was quite the opposite as the next day I did a fairly quick 5 miles followed the day after that with 7.75 miles. Thought I’d need a break. Not to say I shouldn’t have taken one.
Run on!
About the authorEntrepreneur Jeff Lambert is the President and founder of JVHM, Inc., a software development business located in the San Francisco Bay Area but serving clients around the globe. Jeff's expertise includes application development, database design, integration and development, website design and development, blogging integration, video production, CRM systems setup, development and support and more. In his "spare" time Jeff likes to hang out with his family, run and expand his talents, abilities and understanding of the world around him.
