Friday, April 23, 2010

Long Run Thoughts?

Last weekend, we tried out our new camper in Missoula, which allowed me to do a 15 mile run in the Rattlesnake Wilderness Area. I've often wondered about the variations of advice regarding long run pace. Most of the time, I just meander along, not paying much attention to time. On trails, I am SLLLOOOWWW, especially if there are a lot of climbs. This could be that I'm often just plain lazy and don't really try to make an effort.

The trails in the Rattlesnake vary from rolling to steep. I wanted to TRY and keep my average pace around 11 min/mile, running everything I possibly could. The plan was to go really easy with a few miles at a faster pace in the middle. Somehow, motivation kicked in, and six of the fifteen miles were at a 9:30-9:40 pace, with the rest all over the place depending on how steep the sections were. At the end of the run, my average pace was 10:58!!! It was fun and not quite as painful as I expected.

However, the down side was a lot of soreness the next day, especially in my hip flexors. My questions is - do most of you experience this the day after a long run or do you make your long runs really slow and have a faster, easier recovery? Either way, I got to run here...
As for the camping, it was fun. Buddy wasn't quite sure what to think. In fact, he kept me awake until 3am trying to decide if it was safet to sleep. And, of course, he claimed the bed.

Gotta love this dog though. It's been too hot in the afternoon for him to run, at least until he sheds the winter coat. We've adapted with Buddy jumping on the bed at 5:45 am to run while watching the sun rise over the mountains. Only for my dog!

6 comments:

HappyTrails said...

Buddy is SO cute! He looks QUITE at home on that bed - I think he is smiling! Beautiful photos, Hey, 15 miles is 15 miles whether it's at 9 min pace or 11 min pace - good job. Sore flexors? I don't have a problem. Yours will probably improve with a gradual mileage increase and a bit of stretching and ice baths! Do you use a foam roller on your IT band? That may help some, too. Have a great weekend!

Danni said...

I didn't know you got a camper! How fun! I am incapable of running fast :-)

Ewa said...

What a smart dog he is! Of course bed were made for pets. We all know that. :)
As for hip flexors I used to have some pain there but stretching AFTER runs and some yoga helped a lot.
I second ice baths.At first they seem like a torture but then they are actually fun, especially if you have hot tea with you to sip. Of course when you are camping a cold creek would do just fine. :)

Julie B said...

Is Buddy a Border Collie? I don't know how I missed/forgot that. He's beautiful! We used to have two shelties and sometimes it Is difficult to distinguish between the two from photos. My hip flexors ache in the early spring as I ramp up my miles. After I run I lay on my back and take The Stick or a rolling pin and roll over them with gentle pressure. It really helps!

Anne said...

Great job on your run...that's actually a good pace for those types of trails...how beautiful.
I'm still doing 10/1 (run 10/walk 1 when I do long runs), so my times are barely in the 11 min/mile zone. My recovery is pretty good though, possibly because I walk every 10 minutes. I'm just sharing, but I'm a total newbie, so no advice from me :)

Your dog is so cute!

Iris said...

Thanks for all the suggestions! I just ordered a roller and am forcing myself to stretch.