Sometimes you have good days and sometimes...

My 2nd Charleston 15 miler was today. I had been looking forward to returning to long distances as all summer was 10Ks or less. I hardly slept last night but I had been well rested. I had dropped a pound or so over the last week. Everything was in place. My dad and I drove down and got there at 7am. He was running the 5k. He is recovering from a cold but was feeling ok. We said our goodbye and it was time for the 15 miler at 7:30am. I was going to run about a 7:50 pace for 15 miles. 1.5 miles flat, 2.5 miles uphill, 2 miles downhill, 9 miles of flat.

I started out nervous but comfortable. I powered up the hill and down the hill and had an average pace of 7:55 with 9 miles of flat to go. This was 5 seconds in pace slower than last year but I thought I would have the power to cruise through the flat for a new personal record. I could see my friends first Bruce, then Milton, then Lee. I was going to move forward and pass each one of them in turn. It was going to be very hard but I was ready.


Everything was fine till mile 11 and I'm really not sure what happened. It was like somebody pulled the rug from underneath me. I lost all energy and then my ankle started hurting. I slowed way down. Each mile was slower and slower. The last mile I ran at at about an 11+ minute mile.

I am guessing 100 people passed me in those last few miles. I was beat. I have had this happen to me before on a 20 mile training run and it was because I didn't have enough to eat. I began eating fruit at the tent and drinking gatorade like mad. My legs were hurting pretty bad in the calves. I finished in 2:08+. This was at least 9 minutes slower than last year! Every race this year I had run faster than the year before. Not now. I've got to figure out what happened. Here's the facts as I know them.

• I was sick with a bad cold for about 10 days about 2 weeks before the race.
• I ran 15 miles two weeks before the race and 11.25 one week before the race. Both runs became uncomfortable after about mile 13 and 10 respectively. I really hadn't run long for a month or more.
• It was a few degrees hotter this year.
  
• I had lost a pound or so over the past week. I had been moderately dieting.
• I didn't eat much dinner the night before. A small bowl of spaghetti and a bowl of ice cream.
• I didn't eat much breakfast, one piece of peanut butter toast and a blueberry muffin.
• I carried a gatoraid for 8 miles, sipping on it every mile or so. I had a small amount of water till mile 8 as well. After that I had one sometimes two cups of water or gatoraid about every couple miles.
• I worked pretty hard the day before around the house. I spread manure with a fork for about two hours, put up a basketball goal, split wood for a few minutes, raked dirt for a few minutes. I tried to drink water but may have not drank enough.
• Anyway these are the facts as I see them.
  

What I think I need to do to avoid this again.

• Eat and not diet! Especially a few days before the race.
• Drink water a few days before.
• Run long more!
• Try to avoid working hard around the house the day before a race!
• I should have at least eaten some gu gel during the race first at mile 5 and then at 10.
• I need to drink more water during the race. I think I dehydrated myself.

Sorry to complain on here but running is not always about getting faster or having great runs. It hurts and it takes alot out of you. This is really a training run for me in my march to the Marine Corp Marathon. I honestly am still proud that I finished and just wait till next year. I will have a plan. Dad ended up having a good run and set a PR of 35:29 for the 5K!