Last LSD (35km) Before Sundown

Towards the end of the run yesterday, was one of those rare moments where fu ren and I questioned my sanity.
My run was reduced to a brisk walk at best, and i hardly could stand up at the end point.
I have never been in a worst state than this (yet!).

However, the sight of fu ren waiting for me at the end point (note: it's 4am) was comforting.
Thanks fu ren, for being my pillar of strength!

ok. How did it start?
I have planned this run as my last LSD before SD, so I can taper for the next 2 weeks.
I wasnt able to make up my mind, till the last minute, to run this LSD cos my body was not in its best state.
Plagued with ITB problem (I guess) and the carry-over effect of last week's 21km, my body had been telling me to stop in every way it could. Thursday's tempo run was a tell-tale sign- I could only finished 5km at the tempo pace.

A couple of other last-minute decisions I made

1. Instead of running SD's actual route (starting from Bedok Reservoir), i chose to run 8 laps of Bedok Reservoir (each lap is 4.3km for a total distance of 34.4km). So if at any point I feel discomfort, I can stop the run and walk home. Also, I thought that the dirt track at BR can lessen the impact on my knees.
* If you think that running the Changi Coast Road is mental, you should try running BR x n laps*
2. I brought forward the run from 4am on Sunday, to 11pm on Saturday.

I started the run with 2 laps on my run. Fu ren joined me at the 3rd and 4th lap.
For this run, I adopted the 12/3 run walk, one of my race strategies for the SD.

Here's my pace for the 8 laps.




I was going strong from lap 1-6, despite the constant worry about my ITB.
Then......Yeah....what happened at lap 7 and 8?



I think I have hit the "wall".
What is the "Wall"?
Hitting The Wall is basically about running out of energy.
The runner’s primary fuel sources are carbohydrates (in the form of blood glucose and glycogen, a polymer of glucose stored in the muscles and liver) and fats (free fatty acids in the bloodstream and muscle triglycerides, molecules containing three fatty acids).
Your body has 2,000 calories worth of glycogen stored in the muscles and liver; that’s about enough to get you to—surprise!—mile 20. If you manage to deplete your glycogen reserves, say hello to The Wall.
Then you think you can rely on your fats? Wrong again!
Fatty acid metabolism requires plentiful circulating oxygen, a precious commodity when you’re running at marathon race pace.
Burning fatty acids requires plentiful oxygen, so as fatty acid metabolism increases, your heart must work harder to pump more oxygen-carrying blood to the muscles. It may be difficult or impossible to maintain your pace, especially if you’ve lost enough water through sweat to become even slightly dehydrated (this causes your blood to become thicker and therefore harder to pump).


So why did I hit the wall?

I suspect the reasons are below
1. I did not eat enough during the day. My meals for the whole day only include
a. A bowl of pork porridge for BF
b. A blow of duck porridge + cheng chng for dinner
c. 2 half-boiled eggs for lunch
d. 1 slice of peanut butter toast for lunch
e. A half-pack of maggi noodles before the run.

2. I did not drink enough during the run, especially isotonic drinks.
The vending machine at BR was out of isotonic drinks and I have to rely on the leftover pocari mix + plain water from my previous run.
I think I only drank about 1500-1800ml during the run. I was dehydrated.

3. I did not rest enough as I was out shopping with fu ren during the day.


So how did it feel?


H.E.L.L!!


Every muscles on my legs threatened to cramp and i had to stop frequently to stretch.
I was reduced to shuffling my feet, more like a hybrid run + walk.
The pain on both legs just wouldnt go away and i was reaching deep within to find the energy to keep moving.
I had even resorted to SINGING to my radio during my run (ok those anglers at BR last night, it was me singing not some supernatural presence).
During the beginning of the 8th lap, I contemplated (not once, but thrice) to stop the run right there.

If you look at my Garmin's run record, you will notice 3 blue spikes on the pace axis.
That were the 3 times where I stopped and wanted to quit.


But I PUSHED on, thinking I would encounter the same during the actual Marathon, so I might as well experience IT first hand now.

I am glad I did, but my body didnt agree with me this morning. I can hardly stand up now and if i walk, I resemble the living dead from "Night of the Living Deads".

Am I insane?
Sometimes I think I am.
But if you never try, how do you know what are you capable of?
Now....road to recovery.

"Pain is temporary. Quitting is forever."- Lance Armstrong.

^..^