More marathon musing

I had the longest run of my training cycle so far today, and compared to the "just get through it" mentality I've applied to most of my long runs during this hot, humid summer, this one was great. It is so refreshing and nice when that happens. 18 miles are in the books!

I keep this blog for a lot of different reasons, and sometimes it functions as a journal or record to help me remember things (seriously). I culled a couple of lessons from the run that I want to remember, so I'll jot down notes about what might have helped with this effort in an extended version of what you're supposed to write in the training log under "comments" - what I call the "what worked and what didn't" section:

1. Instead of totally winging it with my dinner plans last night, I had a meal that I know works well for me and that I've enjoyed before previous long runs and marathons. (It's no magic secret or grand surprise: the basic idea is pasta with tomato sauce!)
2. This one I can't control but sure was pleased to get this morning: great weather. It was about as nice as you can get for a long run in early August: a temperature that stayed in the mid-60s, a breeze that swirled around so it was never too far away, full cloud cover and a gentle intermittent rain that was the equivalent of running through a sprinkler. That helped a ton.
3. My route: It's one that actually isn't very easy, but I remember it that way in my head because it's so nice mentally. The loop is broken up into six or seven sections of roughly 2-3 miles each, so I'm able to check off section after section pretty quickly. Some routes feel much longer than the actual distance, and this one feels shorter. I'll take it!
4. The other thing about this route is that it allows for good, proper hydration, with a couple of perfectly placed drinking fountains along the way. I took in about 36 ounces of fluid, if I'm doing the math for my little water bottles correctly, plus two packets of Gu gels. (I am stuck with a bunch of leftover vanilla Gu, which I used to love but am now lukewarm on. I need some lemon-lime and chocolate mint - but not together.) Anyway, I'm probably underestimating how big a role hydrating properly played in my happy run today. It helps me a lot and it's one of the most likely explanations for when a run feels much shorter (or much longer) than it actually was.
5. My podcasts were almost entirely Olympics-focused, with a dash of baseball talk mixed in. Nice!
6. This run is basically right in between two big weeks of training, and I tried to keep that in mind during and immediately after the run. I didn't go wild with the pace, even when I felt good enough to pick it up at the end, and I was more intentional about my recovery when I got home. The worst thing you can do after a run like that is to flop down onto the couch as soon as you get in the door and stay there for hours. I kept up the fluid intake (this time: lemonade blended with frozen strawberries), had lunch a little while later and even broke out my slammin' pink knee-high compression socks to help my feet and legs recover. The long run is a super important building block in any marathon training plan, but if I botch my recovery and slog through the next few days because I'm dehydrated and sluggish from a workout three days ago, that's bad news. It helps to keep the big picture in mind.

Oh, and I finally signed up for the actual race this week!

I will tell you all the details, which is fun to do after a good long run (in contrast to I signed up for this race and just had a hideous long run and can't believe I have to run __ miles more in the fall, which would not be very fun at all).

What? The Mankato Marathon

Where? Southern Minnesota

When? October 21

Why? Low-key logistics + small-town neighborhood support (I loved this at Fargo!) + nice odds for favorable weather (knock on wood)

Ten weeks til race day! I'm excited.