A telling run?

D had said this run today should give me confidence. It would be used as an indicator as to how things are going. I could use it in place of trying to get a HM done (I'm having an impossible time finding one I can do) before the marathon.

So here was the plan. 16 miles total, with the first 10 easy and the last 6 at 7:55-8:05 pace. I ate and drank well yesterday (I have to get better at that these days), went to bed early, and ate some oatmeal and banana and half a poptart this morning.

The easy miles were just fine, but by the time I was getting close to the speedy stuff, I was starting to question my body. I had popped a shot block right before I started, and a couple a bit into the run (mi 5-6). Took a gel around mile 8 (too late, probably, but I thought the shot blocks earlier would've held me off) and started the speed at mile 11.

Mile 11 was fast -- 7:56. I slowed a bit for the next mile. Now I was feeling a little like I was going to be feeling woozy. I wasn't yet, but I felt it coming on. I sort of, no, I really did feel like it was a struggle to stay under 8:05 for the next couple miles. I wanted to stop. I wanted to be done. I wondered when the real wooziness was going to start. I hit the paces slower than the first -- 8:03, 8:03, 8:04 -- and took my last two blocks at mile 13.

They must have worked, or maybe I just knew I was close to finishing, but I was feeling better as I ran through mile 14. 7:57.

I tossed my water bottle as I began the last mile, and hammered it home. Feeling MUCH better, and legs moving well, I didn't really pay any attention to my watch. I just ran hard. 7:44.

I was glad to be done, I was glad to have finished. I was unhappy with feeling like I wasn't going to hit my paces at several points in this run, but I think I learned to pay better attention to fueling. It's something that fluctuates with me -- what kind of fueling I need on longer/harder runs -- but if I pay attention to my body and just do what it needs, I'll run better.

I'm not sure how telling this run was, but it was another one that was a challenge -- and I think I passed.