Monday, May 9, 2011

When 7=13.5

Now that I have started my Ironman training I am going to try and post more often to kind of hold my feet to the flame. The posts will somehow include my training for the day, week or whatever is on my mind.

Some time last week, the BRA majority decided that our long Saturday run would be held at Flatwoods Park. Flatwoods has a paved seven mile loop and some trails in and outside the loop. And depending on which entrance you use, there is an additional half mile or two mile start to the loop. So this means you either have an automatic mile or four miles added to your run. All still sounds like basic math.

Because runners in BRA are such nice people, a carpool location was coordinated for the trek to Flatwoods. Not really. It is because gas is so damn high right now and C-Steve just can't ride his bike on the interstate. We loaded up four vehicles and headed out. Bet Al has never done that.

I still had in my mind that I was going to probably run seven. I say this because for the past few months when the Saturday runs were held at Natures Way (a road around a neighborhood in Brandon), I would meet the group in a different location and would end up running only seven instead of the minimum 10.3. So I figured two miles to the loop and then seven on the loop and then two back would be eleven miles. If I went part of the way out and then back I could still make it some sort of seven if need be. But I am one of those runners that just runs how I feel and usually doesn't wear a watch. Not sure if that makes me a ZEN runner but whatever.

A few of the runners were going to run trails and the rest. You guessed it. Were not. I was still on the fence about running trails. You know how much I like trail running based on my earlier post about the J'ville Xterra Tri.

Two miles to the first water stop. I felt good. A good pace and I was actually running in the front of the front pack which was actually a warm up for them but hey I will take it. We re-group and start on the 7 mile loop. I am still undecided about the trail run. Here comes the entrance to the trail and there I go in to the trail behind C-Steve and Speedy Jan. I was followed by Strawberry E and a female I had not seen before. I shall call her, "Soon to be ahead of me" for now.

I felt good in the beginning on this here trail. Nothing crazy. No hills or fallen trees to jump over. Just a nice back and forth trail which began to seem to take forever. Several times we would cross a dirt road but not the paved loop. I kept thinking that at any turn we would end up back on the paved loop and I could just head back towards that two mile entrance. Not happening.

We came to a rest area. I don't think it was an official rest area but I will call it that since it seems they were waiting on me to catch up. I asked Speedy Jan if we had been running for about 37 miles already and she said, "no. Just 5.3." We continued on. One thing about trail runs is that you can make your own trails if you wish to catch up quicker. I did that more than once.

We finally come to the paved loop. I was told that we were now on mile 7. Yey. I am done. What do you mean this part of the paved loop is the 3.5 point. So your saying it is 5.5 miles back to the cars. No more yey. "Why the long face Captain?"

I know you math geeks are thinking. "Captain Nuts. 7+5.5= 12.5" I realize that. Remember that half mile section to the seven mile loop I mentioned earlier. Well that is where a bathroom is located and I needed to get to that spot. This was not the time for a woodsman type potty break. I will save you the details of that mile. Unless you request more info. So there is the extra mile to make it 13.5.

That last 6.5 miles were ran without any company. Which is how I usually prefer it as long as I have a working ipod which just so happens I did. I will admit my ass was tired. I kept a nice steady pace and only walked at the two remaining water stops. This lone runner was hoping someone, anyone, would have come back and ran in with me for the last mile just for a mental boost but that's not going to happen in the Ironman so I guess it was okay that it didn't happen here.

I get back to the cars just as the search parties were being organized. I got kudos for running more than I set out to. I smile on the outside but was not on the inside. Nothing like kicking off my Ironman training with a bang.

For all of it.........

3 comments:

  1. Uh....math? Hey which IM are you doing?

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  2. i would have run back for you if i'd known. you're going to do great in your first IM. i look forward to following your blogs about training for it.

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