Final Long Run

I ran my last long run for the Lincoln Memorial Half Marathon today. I just ran ten miles in pancake flat Chatham and took it easy. The left knee got a bit stiff the last two miles but it has always done that so I'm not alarmed.

The weather wasn't as nice as it has been at 36 with 13 mph winds gusting to 18 out of the NNW, 74% humidity and a wind chill of 26. I've been fighting a bit of a cough the last week or so and I can't figure out if it is allergies or a cold. I'm not really congested at all and my cough is slightly productive but nothing alarming. My cough will go long periods without bothering me until the minute I lay down to go to bed and the minute I get up in the morning. It will also bother me after I work out. My albuterol inhaler helps out, cold and sinus medication with a cough suppresant also helps a little but generic benadryl doesn't seem to help. This is worrisome because I got a terrible case of bronchitis the day after the LMHM last year and I would like to avoid that again. Bronchitis, and the 103 degree fever that came with it, really sucks. The worst part was coughing and coughing but not getting up and giving myself a headache from the constant heaving.

I started my run a bit fast with my first two miles each covered in 8:02. I was planning on starting off at about 8:10 pace and going from there and I managed an 8:09 for mile three. Miles four and five went by in 16:02, I have no idea where the four mile mark is. At mile five I turned around and ran the same course backward. Miles six and seven went by in 15:51 and I finished up in 8:00, 7:49, and 7:25 for a total time of 1:19:20.

I felt pretty okay. I'm wondering how much sharpness I lost due to just running base miles the last few weeks. I still think I'm capable of a 1:35 if I get a good day as I feel that I am much more aerobically fit than I was last year. However, hill running isn't my strong suit and this course kicked my ass last year.

In a positive light, Abe's Amble killed me the first time I ran it but I ran two minutes faster the second time I ran it. I also ran a fairly strong 15K in the hills of Decatur a week after running a 19:02 5K in Havana. What helped me there was going out slow the first third of the race and running strong the last two thirds.

My plan for the half is to run the first five very easy, which is hopefully right about 7:30 pace. After that I would be very happy to run about 58:00 flat for the last 8.1, which is right about 7:10 pace. That would put me finishing in the neighborhood of 1:35:30. Truth be told, I would be happy with a time two minutes slower. Long races intimidate me. I have a hard time being patient.