Like baseball, running and statistics go together.  On Saturday, I completed my first extended run in over a decade and I'm gonna break down the run in today's blog.  The statistics are provided courtesy of the Endomondo Pro app, running on my iPhone 4S with GPS enabled ($3.99, sometimes on sale for less, also available for Android and Blackberry platforms and in a free version).  I've been using Endomondo for about 2 years while biking and today was my first time using Endomondo on a run - what a great training tool.  The coolest part was when a female computer voice broke into my music at every mile to provide split and overall times.  I didn't know to expect that, and the information proved supprisingly useful.  In short, the run went fairly well and highlights and lowlights are provided below.

As a reminder, the Reeve Foundation is partnering with La Palestra CPM to provide training and coaching for the 2012 ING NYC Marathon.  In general, the training schedule calls for a long run every Saturday - starting slow and building the mileage as the race gets closer.  Eight miles was the plan for Saturday, but the heat caught me just before the end.  I'll start with the good, though.

Also, before we dive in let's agree on two things.  First, this blog is about Team Reeve.  I'm using my experience to showcase the dedication of all Team Reeve members and what it takes to run a martathon and to fundraise for a mission.  It's hard and that's what the blog will show.  Second, we all acknowledge the numbers below for what they are - slow .  I don't want to hear anything from the peanut gallery about my essential slowness.  See the first rule - the blog is about Team Reeve.



What I find most interesting analyzing my run is that 7 miles starts to provide enough distance to learn some things about yourself as a runner.  There is enough time to start to identify things that you're doing right and things that you're doing not-so-right.

So here are Saturday's numbers.  I ran/walked 6.87 miles.  Of that, 6.57 was mostly running and the final 0.3 miles was a painful uphill limp home (more on that later).  The 6.57 miles was completed in 1h6m37s for an average speed of 10:08 min/mi (Click for interactive graphs.  Also, the final 0.3 was clocked separately and does not show with this link).  The fastest mile was 9:07 and the slowest was 10:50.  Not bad for me, but mile 2 was my fastest mile and all other miles posted positive splits, adding about 20-30 seconds/mile for the remainder of my run.  That's clearly not a pattern I want to see continue over longer runs, so the first lesson I learned is that I need to slow down my first couple of miles.  I guess the hot weather helped me get loose quickly, but it's a classic beginner mistake to run early negative splits and then have nothing left later on.

Mile 2 was great (9:07), mile 3 @ 9:37 and mile 4 @ 9:52.  I took a one minute break at the end of mile 4 to rest and hydrate, and then continued my run knowing that I was fading a bit but was feeling mentally very good.  I carried 40 ounces of ice water with me, but in the end that wasn't enough.  Mile 5 clocked in at 10:31 and I was still feeling pretty strong.

But then - 5.86 miles into my run - my left lower calf turned into a rock.  I could not move another inch!  I immediately stopped running and tried to stretch out the muscle.  Nothing doing.  I also knew that cramping is closely associated with under-hydration, so I drank my remaining somewhat cold water.  I started to walk, hoping that I wouldn't have to call home for a pickup.  After a hundred yards or so the muscle did begin to loosen (a very tiny bit) and the sweet Endomondo voice broke into the music and said "Six miles 1h16s, lap time 10min50seconds".  Considering that mile 6 included walking time with my cramp, I'll give myself credit for keeping a steady pace during the sixth mile.

I really wanted to complete the 8-miler, so instead of turning for home I continued running, albeit at an even slower pace.  But I knew at 6.57 that I was cooked.  The pain was returning, my gait was completely off and, most importantly, I was out of water and feeling a bit nauseous (remember it was really hot this past weekend).  It's too early in the training cycle to want to inflict severe damage on oneself, so I made the decision to shut it down and walk the rest of the way home.  The final 0.3 miles was basically straight uphill and that didn't do any additional favors for my calf.

While I didn't complete the 8, I see a lot of positives in Saturday's run.  First, I completed 6.87 miles and feel pretty good right now.  Second, aside from my cramp, I was able to run through some mild knee pain at mile 4 and also a small blister that formed along the way.  Fighting discomfort is part of training and I'm pleased with the practice.  Finally, the heat was pretty serious and my calf and I learned a quick lesson regarding hydration.  I'll definitely carry additional liquid with me, including Gatorade, as the runs get longer.

This upcoming Saturday, Team Reeve and La Palestra tackle NYC with a 10 mile run.  Team Reeve still has spots available for this year's ING NYC Marathon, so I invite you to join us at 7 am sharp at La Palestra and let the miles melt away as you run with a great team and make new friends.  I hope to see you there!