10 Miles - 9/15

Todays run was the 2nd longest of the training program at 10 miles. Once again, the idea with these long runs is slow and easy, and to gradually increase the amount of pounding that the lower body joints receive in order to build up their toughness and endurance.

This time, a new wrinkle was added in. I'm in Easton, MD for work this week, so part of the challenge was to find, in short order, a place where I could run 10 miles fairly comfortably. So, what better way than to ask the locals. I was told that Oxford Rd (Rt 333) is a good choice because of the very wide shoulders, its length, and the relatively light amount of traffic. After doing a quick recon ride during lunch, I decided it would be a good fit, and I could get there relatively easily from my hotel - so no need to drive and park the car.

Before I left, however, I stocked up on a 24 oz bottle of gatorade and a 24 oz bottle of water from the local convenience store. This was where knowing a little bit about my sweat rate paid dividends. Knowing that in relatively cool conditions with no sun, I'll lose about 2.2 lbs of water per hour, I figured that 48 oz of fluid for a near 2 hour run in slightly warmer conditions should be ok. While it is still a net loss, and that weight will have to be made up afterwards, it is much better being in a fluid deficit of 15-20 oz then closer to 60 oz. My body is used to 15-20 oz, as that is what is loses during short runs when I dont bring fluids along with me. Plus, I didn't want the extra bulk and weight of 32 oz bottles - that would be quite a bit more cumbersome.

Overall, it was a very good run. The first 5 miles were a breeze, and went by pretty quickly. On the way back, I found that my hips started tightening up around the 80 minute mark. Not too bad, but noticable. Then around the 95 minute mark they tightened up a bit more. While it didn't hurt, it started to get annoying. At this point, I still had about 12-16 oz of water left, and my HR started creeping up to 155 and I had a difficult time getting it down, so I started drinking water a little more aggressively. After about 10 minutes, things loosened up a bit and the HR went down. Not sure if the water was the primary reason or not, but it was an interesting coincidence.

Total Time: 1:47:47
Avg HR: 151
Total Distance: 10.1 miles

Due to the tightness, and the fact that when I stopped my knees felt a little bit like jello (funky feeling - I recommend everyone try it at least once), I stretched out a bit during the cool down. Alternating walking a bit with stretching various muscle groups (hamstrings, quads, calfs, etc) seemed to work well, and my knees started feeling normal again.

Also, just as a precaution, I'm planning to stretch a bit more throughout the evening, and also try to get some cold on my knees. I haveno pain at all, so I'm not concerned, but taking precautions never hurts. Without a cold compress on me, it looks like I'll have to get creative with wet washcloths and the mini fridge/freezer in the hotel room.