Two digits and the first one is a 2

Another milepost logged
(Courtesy jshyun @ Flickr)

We're not talking sissy runs any more. No more 4-milers called long runs. We're now emphasizing the word long. In the timelapserunner's brief but exciting history of running, no workout has ever measured its distance in two digits, the first of which was a two. Admittedly, long runs in our marathon training schedule are logged at a modest pace, typically 13 minutes plus per mile. Still, any workout that has you on the street for more than four hours without stopping is not a trivial pursuit. At twenty miles, we're starting to talk about things like hitting the wall. I don't know about you, but the phrase hitting the wall does not conjure up exchanging pleasantries or sipping mint juleps in my mind (not that I've ever had a mint julep - come to think of it, I don't think I'd like mint juleps - I don't care for mint ).

Ten mile loop for the twenty mile long run

The timelapserunner never dreamed of putting in a 20-mile workout. Never. He'd always thought of himself as a short distance specialist, not that he specializes in running any distance these days. It was at the inspiration of a fellow worker that he agreed to try this marathon thing. But 20 miles. Really? And that's not going to be the longest workout on his path to the 2013 Louisiana Marathon.

We now have a lot of experience picking out routes to get in these long runs. Almost exclusively these routes are centered around the LSU area. Reasons abound for doing so. Great scenery. Interesting people. Route familiarity. Anything but boring. All good reasons to choose route components that center on the LSU Lakes, campus, City Park and surrounding areas - one of the scenic calling cards of the Louisiana Marathon itself, of course. And for a number of these long runs, there's been the campus excitement of a Saturday football game. Hard to beat, if you ask me.

Port-O-Potties on the route
(Courtesy Louisiana Marathon)

The trick here - if there is one - is to manage to avoid having to use the facility whilst out there on the route. During the last long run, we flirted with this but managed to avoid that timeout. Along the route, we'll be consuming Clif Gel Shots and these simply must be washed down with a modicum of water. Too much water in and some will need to exit. However, it's the timelapserunner's understanding that there will be Port-O-Potties on the marathon route, but who wants to have to lose minutes when you could be getting closer to the finish line. During these last long training runs the timelapserunner can make use of one or another stopping spots in the event of an urgency and we'll consume as little water as it takes to meet thirst - and wash down needs.

Buzzards looking for easy pickings?

So, this long run is now over, clocking in at a somewhat brisk 4:01:54 clip - or 12:06 per mile average. It wasn't an easy go, however. Little aches and pains came and went during the run but the right calf threatened to lock up late in the run. The threat was more pronounced during the walk breaks, so I ran the last mile and a quarter.

We'll want to keep moving over the next couple of days to avoid letting all those body parts freeze up. All in all, a good workout. Only two more long runs before the marathon itself: a 23-miler and a 26-miler. But there's time to think about those later. For now, it's simply time to bask in the joy of having spent more than four hours in God's great playground - even with the soreness that comes from the doing.