After waking up at 2am and watching TV until 6:30am, I set out to do my last tempo based run before winding things down for Boston. It went better than expected, meaning my pace was faster than what I thought it should be based on feel, but I cut the run short by 20 minutes. Part of the reason was time constraints of having to get to work. Part of it was to keep a bit in the tank for my last long run this sunday which I plan to do again at a hard pace.
My target tempo pace is 6:40, but I wound up doing 20 minutes at 6:33 and then another 20 minutes at 6:36. The third round of 20 minutes was the one I skipped for the reasons above. Including the recovery miles, I did a total of 8 miles.
Yesterday evening I found out I have an opportunity to crew for Tony this July when he does Badwater for the second time. This is an experience I feel very fortunate to participate in. I feel like I’m getting something for nothing because I’m not the guy who is going to have to run the damn thing. Yet, I’m going to get to feel a tiny bit of what this race is about. I’ve always had a fascination with this race ever since I first learned about it. Never did I actually think I would ever get to witness it, or even participate in some ancillary way. Pacing is what I’m looking forward to most since it gives me an opportunity to run parts of the course.
Others who I’ve told about this, joke that I’ll be doing it next. The truth is though, I don’t ever see myself doing this race. The amount of time and dedication to training for this is not something I have the luxury of affording. The most I see myself doing is a 50 mile race, which I have my eye on at the end of May as being a strong tentative.
Running 100 miles for 24 hours through the night? Can’t see myself really doing that either, although, as I see a few people I know getting ready to go off to do Umstead this weekend, a part of me has a lingering curiosity with small bit of envy.
But 135 miles through the desert in 120 degrees Fahrenheit?
