36k

Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do,
to keep in the same place.
- the Red Queen in Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll 

I ran 36 km on my long run on Sunday, twice around the 18 km loop from the 42nd street bridge to the Diefenbaker bridge. For variety I ran the second loop in reverse.

Unfortunately, the water fountains get shut off at the beginning of September so I had to carry water. I tried a waist belt with two small (300ml) bottles. It bounced a bit more than I'd like when they were full, but otherwise it worked ok. I stashed a refill bottle in the bushes near the start for my second loop.

It started out a little cool (10c), but I was able to stash my extra shirt when I refilled with water. By the time I was done it was about 25c which is a little warmer than ideal. But it was a beautiful sunny day so I can't complain.

That's probably the farthest I've ever run. I might have gone that far in my younger days but I don't think so. It's not much by modern ultra-running standards, not even a marathon (42 km). But I was happy with it.

Most of the run went very smoothly and enjoyably. I was running 9 minutes and walking 1 minute at a decent pace (for me). My heart rate was consistent up to about 2.5 hours, after which it slowly but steadily rose, even though my pace didn't change. I was pretty beat by the time I finished, but I kept my pace steady for the whole 36 km. I went back and checked my last 30 km run and it looked very similar - steady till 2.5 hours and then gradually losing performance.

It's a change to hit a fitness limit. For the first time in years my knees and feet were not the limiting factor. Although they are the reason I've had to limit my volume of running, and therefore my endurance.

This week has been recovery mode. My foot was a little sore for a couple of days, but nothing like as bad as it used to be. I did an easy 5 km on Tues. and a moderate 7 km today. I'm still feeling a little tired, but performance wise I seem to be mostly back to normal. If all goes well I'll do medium volume next week, and then maybe another long one the following week. Of course, the snow is coming and I tend to lose motivation when the weather turns ugly.