Running Journal - 2024-06-16 (26.22-mile Marathon Long Run)

Sunrise, June 16, 2024, looking toward foothills of Mission Peak Regional Preserve

Mother duck and 7 ducklings, Coyote Creek Lagoon Trail

Meyer lemon, collected near the end of the run

Mission Pizza - partially consumed to-go box of large pizza (half "Angel’s Heavenly Hawaiian" & half "Kim’s Hearts & Garlic")

Mission Pizza - 2 pints of beer: 1) Old No. 38 Stout Stout - Irish Dry (North Coast Brewing Company, Fort Bragg, CA); and 2) Chocolate Hazelnut Porter (Heretic Brewing Company, Fairfield, CA)

Time: 5:54-12:16 p.m. (6 hours 22 minutes) 
Resting heart rate: 116 (15 minutes after exercise)
Weight (running clothes): 81.47 kg (179.60 lb)
Body Mass Index (BMI; note criticisms of BMI): 23.7 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 1,982 cal/day
Distance (running): 42.23 km (26.24 miles)
Cumulative distance (2024; ignores XT days): 741.76 km (460.91 mi)
Calories burned: 3,161 kcal
Average heart rate: 115 bpm
Max heart rate: 152 bpm
Weather at start: sunny ☀️ 22° C (71.6° F), Humidity 40% Wind: 22 km/h
Terrain: 646 ft elevation gain
Avg Pace: 14'35" /mile
Best pace: 13'29" /mile
Stinkiness air level (0=No smell; 10=☣️): 0/10 (not stinky)
Comments: Marathon - unofficial training run completed 💯 This represents the first marathon since my 2007 Big Sur International marathon. Remembered the 3 things I should always do: 1) Garmin HRM-Pro Plus Heart Rate Monitor; 2) Anti-chafing; and 3) Sunblock ✅ Sleep the night before was poor. Our cats slept on the bed and I was a bit wired from the day, so did not fall asleep until near midnight. The cats sleeping on the bed was welcome, especially our medium-haired cat who we want to encourage to be affectionate & friendly. That left a handful of hours for sleep; I woke around 4:45 a.m. (alarm was 5:00 a.m.), took a shower, shaved, had a bowl of cereal, cleaned the cat boxes while I still felt good, had a can of cold brew coffee, then relaxed for a minute until the sky seemed bright enough. Sunrise was approximately 5:47 a.m., and I started walking as a warmup around then, beginning the run at 5:54 a.m. Sometimes I just feel a bit physically drained, and I knew today was going to be like that due to lack of sleep. As an aside, I was proud of myself to not have alcohol at a meal the night before. I wore my lightweight, long-sleeve black technical top and shorts, which was OK. A short-sleeved shirt would have been ideal, I think. Temperature at the start was about 12 C (54 F) and it rose to 21-24 C (70-75 F) by mid-day. I listened to an audiobook, a non-fiction book by Jonathan Rosen. One technical hiccup with my Garmin Forerunner 965 smartwatch: I started my run with intervals accidentally set to 3:00 run/1:00 walk. I paused it and edited the time to 2:30/1:00. Then I started running and zoned out, listening to my audiobook. Later, I would notice it telling me to 3:00 run/1:00 walk 🤔 So either I messed up, or it just applied the edit to the 1st interval, or (?) In any case, it had a silver lining: I almost ran out of intervals today, reaching 96 of 99. 👀 So running longer for each interval may have inadvertently helped. My watch allows for 99 intervals, so I am not sure what happens when that result is reached...I assume the workout auto-ends, which would be terrible for my 28-mile long run in 3 weeks. The sun crested the nearby foothills as I approached the 3-mile mark. In the Coyote Creek Lagoon, where the chairs usually sit empty, I noticed two people sitting in them. I could not discern their activity (fishing, homeless, bird watching, etc.). I saw several large rabbits on the trail, two families of baby ducks with their mother (1 of which was bobbing for food in the shallows), and all the usual cast of waterfowl. Stopped at the 5-mile mark and had a Cucumber Lime Gatorade. As I passed a nearby factory, there must have been a shift change as there was a steady stream of cars queuing at the stop lights to exit. At a nearby BART station, I departed from my usual route and attempted to see if I might cross the tracks at the station instead of going around via sidewalks. However, I arrived too early--the doors to the escalators & stairs were secured and shuttered, and about a dozen people awaited their opening. The rest of the 1st 10 miles was uneventful. At home I washed my face, re-applied sunblock, changed socks, shorts, & shirt, and was joined by Dawn for the 2nd 10-mile stretch. She had lots of energy and it was nice to have a partner. My left foot had begun to throb while I ran, eventually subsiding. I think my left sneaker was too tight--I had tightened the laces around the toe box in an attempt to prevent sliding & blisters, but I think I over-tightened, as my left pinky toe was in pain. I chose to keep running, perhaps foolishly. It felt less painful when I ran. A bit of color that only really matters to Dawn and me: one of the stoplights has a partially-broken "red hand" walk sign that looks like it is missing some fingers (like Jerry Garcia). We also call the chairs in Coyote Lagoon where the people were sitting today the Angry Chair per Dawn's familiarity with the Alice in Chains song. This was Dawn's first 10-mile run in many weeks. The yellow flowers along Coyote Creek trail are mostly gone. We did see the duck family. Just before the 5-mile rest point we decided a sign reading "G.N.B." meant "Ginormous Nutter Butter". Stopping at the 5-mile mark was a welcome hydration rest. I also purchased a chocolate cake square as I felt pretty hungry. We had left home at 9:00 a.m. for the 2nd 10-mile stretch, and the day was warming into the mid-60's. All of the new Tesla cars no longer seem stored at the BART parking lot--not a one. As we approached the 2nd convenience store stop, we began extending the walk breaks to 2:00 run/2:00 walk. This suited me as my foot hurt. I got two cookies at the stop, 1 peanut butter & 1 chocolate chip. The run home was uneventful, other than foot pain. Dawn felt pretty rough so we just shuffled along. I left Dawn at the corner by our home, gave her the house keys & the cookies, and took off to complete the last 6 miles without rest/refuel. I felt impatient and in relatively good shape. I stopped and loosened my toe box laces which helped a lot with the pain. What I wish I had done: collected my ear buds & have a gel pack/electrolyte drink. The last 6 miles was quiet, hot, and boring. It was Father's Day, and no one was around. At the 23-mile mark, I hydrated in a local park. What a slog those last miles were--at least the return was mostly downhill. There came a time when the remaining distance was under a mile, then under a half-mile, and my attitude rallied. Near the end, I passed a plastic to-go bag full of what looked like a giveaway Meyer lemons sitting on the curb, and I collected one to take with me. During the last segment, I watched the mileage tick until I had gone well past the 26.2 mark (26.4), just to ensure the distance was marked properly. Walked home, hydrated, showered, then we celebrated at K on the Go, a local tea & dessert place. Later, after napping/resting, we got pizza & beer and called it a night after watching the latest Doctor Who episode. Pretty happy to finally run an unofficial marathon distance again--I think the last time was many years ago in Sacramento and I got up to 22 or 24 miles before stopping due to over-training. This run was hampered a bit by stopping for stoplights, running intentionally slow, etc., but overall I am recovering well. No injuries. My left pinky toe was very red and chafed, but it did not seem to be bruised/injured, thankfully. I think recommendations for next time: close the bedroom door so no cats; keep shoelaces looser; do not skip hydration/fueling, even if impatient; figure out what happens with the Garmin smartwatch when intervals exceed 99. I also need to figure out new shoes--my current pair of HOKA Challenger 7 have 350 miles (of suggested 400 miles). One note: when we stopped at the 2nd gas station, a man remarked in a good-natured way, "This time you're running with a partner". I seem to have been noticed!
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Pinky toe (shoe-tightness throbbing pain), blisters on balls of feet near big toes
Foods eaten today: Kashi GO Toasted Berry Crisp Cereal with nonfat milk,  Trader Joe's Black Cold Brew Coffee (8 oz), Tailwind Nutrition Recovery Drink Mix - Chocolate - 16 oz, banana (x2), Tropical Fields Durian Mochi (15g; x2), Tailwind Endurance Fuel (Lemon, x1), Gatorade Gatorlyte Electrolyte Beverage Lime Cucumber (20 oz, x1) & Kiwi Strawberry (20 Oz, x0.25), K on the Go - Ube Flan Frappe & everything bagel with salmon (lox) + cream cheese + capers, Mission Pizza - large pizza (half "Angel’s Heavenly Hawaiian" & half "Kim’s Hearts & Garlic") & pint of beer - Old No. 38 Stout Stout - Irish Dry