I learned my lesson from yesterday’s hot bike ride, and got up really early to do my long run. I was at the local park a little after six o’clock this morning. The temperature was warm, but much cooler than it was going to get later in the day.
It was a really nice morning. No wind and the mist was still rising off of the lake, when I arrived. I was going to run for an hour and forty five minutes and planned my route, so that I would be back at my car, about half way through the run. I was going to run with a water bottle, but I can’t really carry enough water for this length of run. I would therefore top up my hand held bottle, when back at the car, mid-run.
I started my run fairly slowly, because I suspected my legs would be tired after yesterday’s bike ride. Indeed, my legs did feel tired and they stayed that way for a long time. Even on tired legs however, I found myself running at a typical zone 2 pace for me.
I have learned over the years, that tired legs are as much a mental battle, as a physical one. I have also learned that if you keep running, the tired feeling often gradually goes away.
Well today, I didn’t think the feeling would ever go away, because my legs were still tired as I got back to my car, after about 50 minutes of running. After taking a quick drink of water, a Honey Stinger gel and topping up my handheld bottle, I was off and running again.
I’m not sure if it was the few minutes rest, an energy boost from the gel, or just that extra water, but the second half of my run, was much better than the first half. The tired feeling in my legs gradually went away and without increasing effort level, my pace picked up slightly. I ended my run feeling really good, and finished with a decent negative split.
Once again, I found that you can run on tired legs and get beyond it. It’s really strange, but it’s a critical lesson. Your legs are going to be tired at some point during a long course triathlon race, so during training, run on those tired legs, and you might be surprised how it turns out.
