33 in 3:15

I ran the 33km loop around the new north and south bridges this morning. It started out nice and cool, but the sun was hot, and it was a little too warm by the end. But it’s supposed to be 34c tomorrow so I can’t complain. 

For some reason my heart rate was unusually high for the first hour or so. Normally it wouldn't get that high unless I was pushing quite hard, but I was pacing myself for a long run and not going fast at all. Nor was I breathing hard, which would also usually go with that kind of heart rate. Either I hadn't recovered completely from recent runs, or my heart rate monitor was misbehaving. I use a chest strap because the optical wrist heart rate is completely unreliable for me. Usually the chest strap seems to work well. Other than being puzzled, I ignored it and continued, and after about an hour my heart rate dropped back to more what I would expect, although still a bit high for my pace.

Just after the north bridge a fit looking cyclist came up from behind and asked "How far are you going today?". I answered "30". There was a long pause, and then he said sarcastically, "Just 30, eh." Another pause and he said "I did 18 yesterday." I felt a little bad at one-upping him.  "Are you training for a race?" he asked. "No, just running for fun." I answered. Of course, it's somewhat type 2 fun, the kind you enjoy having done, as much as you enjoy the doing. (Like climbing often was.) Although, for the most part, I do enjoy my runs, even if they're tough sometimes.

25 km in I ended up behind a guy running, pushing a baby chariot, with a large dog on a leash, and shepherding another small child on a bicycle. Between them they were pretty much completely blocking the trail. I was trying to figure out how I was going to get past them, when I realized that I wasn't really gaining on them. If I'd been on a shorter run, I'm pretty sure my ego would have goaded me into speeding up to pass them. But by this point my ego was tired and I lived with the shame of running behind a guy with a baby carriage. Of course, he was probably 30+ years younger than me, and probably wasn't running anywhere near as far. At least that’s what I told myself! (Thankfully they turned around not long after.)

I wasn't aiming for a fast pace since it was the longest I'd run this summer. I still managed to run the second half a bit faster than the first, despite the fact that it always takes more effort to maintain the pace as a long run progresses. I was definitely tired by the end, but not totally spent. And best of all, my feet and knees seem to have tolerated it quite well, which isn't always the case with going further than usual. Another 9 km would have made it a marathon (42 km). Could I have managed it today? Probably, but it wouldn't have been pleasant. And I was out of water. I do these long runs with a vest and two half liter bottles, but when it's warm that's not really enough for 3 hours, let alone 4. I used to take advantage of the water fountains, but they never got turned on this summer, I assume due to Covid. I need to stash a resupply somewhere to go longer. But that's not easy to do when I'm running one long loop.