4 hour long run is in the books

I ran 4 hours last Saturday and that is by far the longest that I have ran at once. I did not really know what to expect so I approached it like any other run. Half way through the run I was back at the starting point to refuel and then it was off again.

My first loop was 10 miles or so around Watchung and I saw some new trails that I have not seen before. I felt really good the first two hours, with minimal walking and no soreness. I probably went out too fast but I was feeling good so I kept going. I did not get too bored and was feeling good about things. I try to look at my watch which helps as well as the Ipod.

The first difficulty that I had was at about 2 1/2 hours when I took a walking break to eat a clifbar. As soon as I stopped at a tree to stretch a bit Journey's "Don't stop Believen" came on and I had to chuckle to myself. The quads were the first muscles to start hurting and it was cold the whole time but the cold did not affect me. I think that is where cycling comes in handy. When you are on a bike your upper body does not move so you get pretty cold. Running involves more of your body and the blood seems to circulate better. I did well for the first 3 hours and was able to run through the quad soreness but the hills got to be a little tough even to walk up. The last hour was pretty tough and it took all of me to keep running and to get through it.

Overall I felt good, hydrated well, ate right and had a great time with good music getting me through 4 hours and I probably covered 18-20 miles. I will say that 4 hours is a long time and I definitely have to run long more often to get ready for next year. I also have to work on being able to run up the hills when I am tired and it is 3 hours into a run. That will hopefully come with time.

With the 4 hour run in the bag I am ready for the 50k in 2 more weeks. I am in taper mode, have trained long and well for the distance and will definitely appreciate the experience of running 50k.

Happy trails,

Rob