Yesterday, was the first of two 20 mile training runs. Typically, this is the longest run you have before the marathon. Some training programs will only have one 20 miler but we have two. This is mainly due to to having a number of overachievers in my group looking for qualifying times for Boston. Their running goals are a far cry from mine. As runners, we are in different worlds but a schedule is a schedule. 6- minute milers and 15-minute milers alike have to log their pre-marathon twenty.This distance is supposed to prep you for marathon conditions. In many ways, it is very much like a marathon just without medals or cheering. You get bored, break down, hit walls, stop for snacks, go to the bathroom, talk about food and ,sometimes, get religion.
My running partner and I decided to make an 5:00 AM start which would put us an hour ahead of the group. This meant my day began at 3:45. I got up, had my power bar and a swallow of espresso before grabbing my bag of supplies and heading out into the darkness.
Salt!
We ended up scoring a lucky parking spot right in front of the start marker so, after a discussion about safety, we decided to take off onto moonlit path. We had over an hour of lonely work interrupted only by the occasional sight of the rare runner or cyclist. The full moon, dominating the city skyline to the west of the path, was a beautiful but unsettling reminder that we were somehow trespassers on the wrong side of day. I was more than a little ghost-story-scared. Shadow-jumping-scared. I-don't-like-the-look-of-that-biker-scared.
And then, shortly after the 6 mile mark, the sky puffed out a little pink haze in the east. By the time we made it to the 8 mile water station, the sun was pulling itself into a cloud hanging over a misty Lake Michigan. Buildings were interwoven with fog and shimmering haze. But it was light. It felt as if we had run straight from a nightmare into the dawn. For a good 2 miles, I was giddy. I still had 2 packets of GU,6 packs of salt and was halfway through the big run. The fear and darkness were quite literally several miles behind us. We were in a different world.
Might be a silly question, but what is the salt for?
ReplyDeleteI only came across this idea last year. One of the coaches recommended it for the long runs. This doctor, who writes for Runner's World, says you should even try using salt during shorter runs. Prevents cramping. The theory is that you lose a lot of salt when you run. Here is the link to that doctor blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://runningdoctor.runnersworld.com/2008/05/index.html