Sunny, high of 72, kind of the perfect San Diego kind of day to go for a long Ironman training run.  So…I did.

The last two long runs were 19 miles each with an average pace of 10:59 and 10:51 per mile.  During both of those, I felt fairly steady in the beginning with the expected fade, especially in the last two miles.

Today, it was hard for me to think that 19 miles was like 20 miles.  I really wanted to break the 20 mile barrier which would be the first time since I completed Ironman Santa Rosa in May of 2018.  Since then I have had no reasonable reason to do so and I am not going to run 20 miles for the fun of it.

A big bowl of oatmeal, walnuts, blueberries, bananas and maple syrup at 5a.m. started the odyssey.  This followed by foam rolling, stretching and the packing of the gear.  I had driven out to Carlsbad, slathered on the sunscreen and was ready to go by 8:30 a.m.  Again, sunny and perfect with the Pacific Ocean in full glory next to me.

The first 12 miles were about as good as I could have hoped.  Almost every mile was under a 10-minute pace.  I was relaxed and in the groove with a quality pace and stride.  Starting at mile 13, that began to fade.

Although the pace slowed down for miles 13 through 21, it was mostly not a painful experience and I felt my energy levels in a good place.  No bonking.  Just an @oldguywhotris slowing down as would be expected in most cases.

However, after reviewing the final stats, I didn’t slow down more than the last two long runs.  In fact, my average pace per mile improved!

9/22/2019 – 10:51/mile over 19 miles

9/28/2019 – 10:58/mile over 19 miles

10/7/2019 – 10:38/mile over 21 miles

Additional Bonus:  No cramping over the 21 miles!  This is something I continue to hope will be the case in the actual race.  I still have not experienced a half Ironman or Ironman race where I didn’t cramp.  The last two were close, but I cramped within the last quarter mile.  I hope this is a sign of things to come!

6 weeks to go to Ironman Arizona and the signs continue to point in a positive direction with significant mileage training sessions producing pleasant results.  Again, possibly all those 70.3 races this year and the weight training is paying off for the long course.  We’ll see in 6 weeks won’t we?

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Please join me in my efforts to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation as I take on my own challenge to complete my second Ironman race.

At my own cost, I will attempt to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles on November, 24th, 2019 in Tempe, Arizona to bring awareness and funding support to the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the needs of their clients. This challenge race is intended to raise at least $5,000 in funds to make those dreams come true for challenged athletes everywhere. Please click on the donate button and give what you can to help CAF athletes overcome physical disabilities and be able to afford the cost of equipment such as sports wheelchairs, handcycles, mono-skis and sports prosthetics, and resources for training and competition expenses.

The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) raises money to help people with physical challenges pursue an active lifestyle through physical fitness and athletics. CAF’s mission is clear: give those with the desire to live active, competitive lifestyles every opportunity to compete in the sports they love.

Thank you for any donation you can make to this cause at the following link http://bit.ly/2lIDEI4 or just click on the CAF button below.