Back to Back Long Runs

Although it is going to be very tiring, I am planning on doing another long run tomorrow at a little faster than race pace, so that my body could get accustomed to running hard when I'm tired.  Simulating the race scenario is very important when training.  If your body is already used to the speed, the layout of the course, and how you're feeling, it helps you out a lot.

My high goal is to get 1st place in my individual race in the 12 hour race.  That is going to be rather difficult to do, considering that I'm still new when we talk about endurance races.  I only have a 50 miler under my belt, and this 12 hour run will be different than that.  I will be a lot more trained this round, compared to the 50 miler, but I need to make sure that I could still run for a long time without stopping, no matter how tired I was or how much it hurt.  Today was day one of the simulation.  I have decided that this weekend, I will run about the same distance as my goal is.  Today, I ran 16.72 miles in 2:35:23, a 9:17 min/mile average.  I got lost in the trails in the mountains, and there were a couple places where I had to walk because of the steepness of the trails, but it was all pretty good for me.  It pushed me harder than a normal 16 miler.  Running on the trail gave me an idea of how everything is going to feel.  Today's run had a big chunk on trails with all sorts of terrain.  There were a lot of switchbacks, and that helped work my core, and the hills really pushed me to go far and fast, so overall, I was happy to have that sort of challenge as I was running.  Towards the end of the run, my left knee felt a slight pain.  This may cause me to change my training plans, but I'll make the decision tomorrow.  If it doesn't hurt, then I'll go ahead and run once in the morning.  If the knee feels the same discomfort, then I'll make sure to take the appropriate measures.  What I will most likely do, if it was bad, would be to go to the gym and cycle like a madman.  As the next few weeks are my hard core training weeks, I need to make sure to get as much done on my body.  Time is running out and I need the proper amount of time to taper and carboload.

Tomorrow's plan would be to prepare in a different way than usual.  Going for a goal that you have never done before means that you need to train both mind and body to achieve that.  Training for the real thing means that you need to put yourself in the position you will be in.  Just like there's the pre-SAT before the SAT, you need to train in a similar situation in order to achieve the best results.  The better prepared you are, the better chance you'll have when you reach towards your goal.  Today was another long day... Hitting the sack and sleeping as much as I could.