Mourning Runs?

Got out of the blocks early with the latest twelve mile run and hit the road around 5:40AM.  Wednesday is the longest weekday run (twelve miles every week now) and it makes sense to get this done before temps get steamy.  During the school year, however, my daughter gets up for breakfast around 6AM and heads out to catch her bus around 7:40AM, so mornings are devoted to parenthood…at least until summer vacation.

Last Friday concluded Spencer’s school year so the decks were cleared and the early lift-off was realized.  Things started off well as the roads were deserted and it seemed pleasantly cool, though it was terribly humid and I was drenched in sweat a lot quicker than usual.

Whether it was weather or simply too strong a pace, around mile seven I was fairly whipped.  This hasn’t happened too often and the last thing I need is to bury myself this early.  I figured it was a good test for dealing with the fatigue I’m sure waits in the fifty mile venture, however, so I tried to prevent my pace from slipping into oblivion.  I stuck it out, but it was enervating and unusually distasteful.

Digesting feedback provided by the Garmin Sports Watch yielded good and bad news.  The disappointing aspect was that I was hardly setting a blistering pace early on, so I remain mystified why I felt so tired so early.  On the positive front, I completed 12.5 miles at a much better pace (9:35 minutes per mile) than I suspected from what it felt like.  Clearly not a pace for the record books, but acceptable given the physical state.

Guess we’ll try this again next Wednesday morning and see if performance improves so I won’t have to mourn morning starts.  Was honestly hoping I could begin considering 12-mile runs as “shorter jaunts” like the 10-milers are becoming.  Definitely want to expand my endurance because that dang Finger Lakes Fifty seems closer every minute!