20K Practice Run

On Sunday August 30th I awoke early to test my mettle for my upcoming 20K race. The weather was perfect, no humidity and temperatures in the mid 60's. In a nutshell, I was able to comfortably run about seventeen kilometers, or about 10.5 miles. This run lasted about two hours. I am hoping my race time adrenaline levels will carry me through an additional three kilometers. Three kilometers is slightly less than two miles.

My problem with training runs this long is maintaining proper hydration levels. Conventional wisdom is runs over forty-five minutes require re-hydrating. I have seen runners who carry a water bottle as they run. I do not like holding anything as I run. I need to map my runs so I loop back to my house around the eight to ten kilometer mark and grab a bottle of fluid to rehydrate.

I began by running five kilometers in the Arbor Greene development, located minutes southeast of my home and then consumed about eight ounces of fluids. I then ran an additional ten kilometers to the eastern side of town and back to my home. At this fifteen kilometer mark I consumed in excess of sixteen ounces of fluid. I then rested for nearly two minutes. Due to the extended rest time, my legs began to stiffen and the next two kilometers were very difficult to complete.

I was slightly disappointed I could not finish twenty kilometers. Bigger picture, I knew I was back in good enough shape to have a reasonable chance to finish the 20K race. I need to be very smart pace-wise, remain adequately hydrated, and most importantly, enjoy myself.