Running Journal - 2024-12-08 (~27-mile Long Run)

Fall foliage blankets the sunrise-lit path; on South Grimmer Boulevard near the Warm Springs / South Fremont BART station

Alviso Marina County Park, Pond A9 mirroring the mid-day sky & the ridge of the Mission Peak Regional Preserve (part of the Diablo Range) - San Jose, California

Time: 4:25-10:43 a.m. (6 hours 18 minutes)
Resting heart rate (wake-up): 52 bpm
Weight (running clothes): 83.82 kg (184.80 lb)
Body Mass Index (BMI; note criticisms of BMI): 24.4 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 2,018 cal/day
Distance (running): 42.78 km (26.58 mi)
Cumulative distance (2024; ignores XT days): 1,581.00 km (982.39 mi)
Calories burned: 2,427 kcal
Average heart rate: 129 bpm
Max heart rate: 161 bpm
Weather at start: Overcast ☁️ 🌓 8° C (46.4 F), Humidity 93% Wind: 0 km/h
Terrain: 361 ft elevation gain
Avg Pace: 14'14" /mile
Best pace: 13'17" /mile
Stinkiness air level (0=No smell; 10=☣️): 0/10 (not stinky)
Comments: Wrapped training week #45 with a ~27-mile, easy-pace long run. ✅ Almost 1,000 running miles year-to-date. 👀 Woke at 3:30 a.m., followed by a simple breakfast of a Clif Bar & a cold-brew coffee. Dressed in a long-sleeve technical shirt & shorts. Did 5 things I should always do for night long runs: 1) Garmin HRM-Pro Plus Heart Rate Monitor; 2) Anti-chafing; 3) NipEaze; 4) Headband; and 5) Petzl E49 TacTikka Plus LED Headlamp (c. 2012) ✅ Fed our cats. The previous evening I had prepped by downloading an extra audiobook, replacing the batteries of the headlamp, and partially filling & burping the bladder of my Nathan - QuickStart 2.0 6 L Hydration Pack. Packed a Clif Bar in its right-front vest pocket for easy access. In the back zippered storage, packed another Clif Bar and the "Petzl Poche Carry Case for Tikka Series Headlamps". My left-front vest pocket stored my Skullcandy Sesh Evo earbuds charging case. Routed the drinking tube down the left vest, then across my chest, and then finally back up along the right vest, securing the locking bite valve to the hose clip. ✅ To-date this represents the best solution I've used to wrangle the hose. In my back zippered shorts pocket I stashed an ID & credit card for emergencies, as well as a house key. Wore my Petzl headlamp over my Suntory ALL-FREE swag headband from the San Francisco Marathon 2024 expo. I felt relatively OK with ~3-4 hours sleep--not great, but better than the ~1 hour of sleep on my October 27 long run when I had trouble focusing on the ground as I ran. 😵‍💫

The start at ~4:30 a.m. was chilly. To my northeast in the Central Valley near Folsom, runners were perhaps just opening their eyes--if they managed to sleep at all--and beginning to prepare for the California International Marathon (CIM). The humid air around me was hazily lit by street lamps and the odd passing car. Exhaled breaths of water vapor quickly condensed and turned white in my headlamp's beam. Listened to an audiobook and began running slow, building trust with the light of the headlamp. The Petzl helped immensely with navigating obstacles. Not one stumble today, aside from bumping a lightweight fallen branch. I still ran relatively slowly though. 

Fueling--I ate as I felt hungry, instead of by time/mileage. This really helped. I think I nibbled my way through one bar by mile 12, and about 3/4 of the 2nd bar by mile 20. So ~1.75 bars after ~5 hours. Next time a 3rd bar might help further.

I followed a familiar route, noting the usual hazards. 

Copper wire theft has darkened a long section of street lights along my route 🏴‍☠️ Coincidentally, this represents where I fell and scraped my knuckles in October 🤬 Copper thieves also leave dangerous and invisible sidewalk holes when they remove, damage, or only partially-replace the covers of streetlight electrical vaults. 😰 In several spots they also have littered the sidewalk with long strands of thick heavyweight electrical cable. 😝

Dark outlines of barely-visible trees next to sidewalks also represent a visual hint to take extra care, as their hidden roots may raise the concrete sidewalk slabs unevenly, creating a trip hazard. One solution is to smooth the concrete by grinding it down.

Navigated all the hazards without major stumbles this time, thanks to experience & the headlamp. 😮‍💨

The four stages of sunrise began, barely perceptively at first: 1) Astronomical Twilight, at 5:38 a.m. (my ~5-6 mile mark); 2) Nautical Twilight at 6:08 a.m. (~7-8 mile mark); Civil Twilight at 6:41 a.m. (~9.75 mile mark); and 4) Sunrise at 7:10 a.m. (~12.5 mile mark). The sky was visibly brightening by 6:40 a.m., when I reached a Walmart Supercenter along my route (it opens at 6:00 a.m.). After 2 hours of very little human activity, I found myself dodging shoppers and carts as I ran by the entrance. The rest of the McCarthy Ranch Shopping Center seemed closed. 

Leaving the shopping center behind, the sky had brightened enough to allow for stowing the headlamp in my back zippered storage. For the first time, I decided to skip returning home and retrace my route, finishing with ~20-21 miles completed instead of 14-15 miles. 🙂 I had not stumbled & injured myself. Fueling seemed to have gone better--eating Clif Bars somewhat more frequently and as I felt hungry seemed to keep my energy and mood elevated. I was only sipping water. Though I was sweating, the chilly conditions and slower pace kept me from losing too much. My earbuds began reporting "Battery Low" as they did on past long runs, so I began quick-charging them one at a time. Per the Skullcandy web site, "10 Minutes of charge for the earbuds will provide 2+ hours of playtime". 👀 

It was so lovely to run with full visibility. I'd like to say at this point that my pace rapidly accelerated, but sadly, no--it did not, as my upper leg & butt muscles felt sore. However, I did find I could run slightly faster and certainly with more confidence. Anecdotally, I want to say I had a negative split--my run intervals seemed faster. I finished one audiobook and began another I had prepped the night before. 

The fall foliage was lovely, though with recent wind & rain, the trees have dropped much of their leaves.

At home, I rested and recharged. Hydrated with an electrolyte disc. Dawn was up and had breakfast. We drove to the Alviso Marina County Park and continued our run along the trail next to the ponds. We went slow, continuing the 1:00/1:00 run/walk intervals. A woman was walking quickly ahead of us and we kept pace with her, finally losing sight of her after we turned back at the 3.5-mile mark. One person was wearily carrying heavy weights on their back. An unleashed dog barked toward them as it passed and they told the couple walking with the dog to leash it. Apparently not only was the dog unleashed, but the park prohibits dogs on the trail. This was not the only dog we saw, for what it is worth. We like seeing dogs, but can understand having them potentially running after wildlife in a wildlife sanctuary does not represent the best outcome. The wind was calmer, so the ponds looked like mirrors. No rustling tule grasses or lapping waves. I reached 26.22 miles on the return to the car. We ran a bit farther, then walked the last mile. The weather was perfect--high 50's F and sunny. After we visited Teaspoon for the first time in several years, treating ourselves to dessert drinks. At home we showered and relaxed for the rest of the day. For supper I had the strongest craving for tavern-style pizza (ala Chicago or Milwaukee), but already had my pj's on, so we ended up ordering-in Filipino food. 😋

Overall the run went better than I expected. I attribute this to fueling during the run, as well as slightly better sleep/rest the day before. Lots of room to keep improving. My shoes now have 79.6 miles (of 400) used up (19.9%). Overall--my legs feel moderately sore, but I did it 💪🏼
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Legs moderately sore, bit tired
Foods eaten today: Kirkland Signature Colombian Cold Brew Coffee - 11 fl oz, Clif Bar - Chocolate Chip (x2) & Chocolate Brownie (x1), Vöost Hydrate supplement - Black Cherry, Nature's Bakery Fig Bar - 2 oz twin pack (Raspberry), Kalesa Restaurant - Pancit Miki Bihon (Rice noodles with thick egg noddles, shrimp, chicken & veggies wok fried in soy sauce and spices; x0.25), Nyåkers original gingersnap cookies (x2), La Croix sparkling water (12 oz), Two Bite Pumpkin Spice Madeleine (8 oz, x2), Safeway Signature Select Ice Cream Alaskan Classics Premium Mint Moose Tracks, Teaspoon - Dirty Ube (Coconut infused Ube with organic coffee and organic milk) & brownie (x0.25)