The Long Run --Building Confidence

This past Sunday I ran time wise, and likely distance wise the farthest I have ever gone in my life. Three hours, twenty -two minutes and some odd seconds I spent running... and for good measure another twenty minutes walking/ running. My previous long run had been a twenty mile run that took me three hours and four minutes.

I've been over the course of the past few months gradually extending the length and distance of my long runs. It's wise to slowly increase the amount by increments of time, and not necessarily by distance. One's body measures more accurately in the long term by the time it has to spend in motion and "on its feet" then by numbers of miles... and furthermore distances covered can vary in longer runs depending on factors such as weather and how the body/ mind feels going into the run. But time is always the same time, as redundant as that may sound.

I had plateaued at between two hours and fifteen minutes to hours and thirty minutes earlier in the summer. Usually too I was gutting out the last half hour or so of the runs. The three hour + run that I had completed a few weeks ago also was very tough physically and mentally especially in the latter stages... which left me questioning somewhat my abilities and/or resolve to run for longer segments of time and distance.

So mentally I attempted to change my approach by doing some visulaization techniques... "seeing" a digital watch read-out of over three hours, and "telling" myself that I had the fortitude and the training base to succeed running long. And also trying to take some of the self created pressure I was putting on myself to get ready, and be ready for the marathon in early November. Also I literally decided to change the actual areas where I would run by looking more so to run in the woods and on the trails in the state park, as well as along the beach on the north end of Pleasure Island. I figured the asthetics would help, as would the terrain and the cooler temps in the woods. And not knowing exactly the distance being covered, as opposed to the last long run that I had clocked on my car odometer.

I set the alarm for six a.m. and was off and running at six thirty from the beach and down the short boardwalk in Carolina Beach. Ran all the way to the very end of the North End where the marshy channel cuts back from the Atlantic Waterway and canal to the back side of the narrow tentacle of the island. After running all the way back on the beach to the pier, then back Canal Drive, I headed for the bike path that crosses under Snow's Cut Bridge, and eventually into the CB State Park and its labrynthe of trails criss crossing thru the woods and watershed lands. Out by the bay off the Cape Fear River I had the pleasure of sighting several egrets... some poking thier long white necks out of the tall reeds... and others perched high up in trees by the water's edge. Also saw an osprey that circled over head. I lost track of time, loosely gauging my progress by the height of the sun in the sky, and by the natural timer inside my body and mind.

And some three hours and twenty minutes later I exited out of the last trail I wanted to run and hit the main road by the entrance of the park for the cool down walk/ jog back home. What a joy and a blessing... and wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning. Oh, and I gained a little bit of the sometimes elusive thing called self- confidence... which is pretty important in running, as it is in most other aspects of one's life.