A Few Lessons Learned on the Long (Repetitive) Run

There is a very specific part of my little city which is affectionately called:  The Miracle Mile.

Its a loop around Washington School, softball fields, the National Guard Armory, and the water treatment facility.  If you stick to the sidewalk on the inner side of the loop its almost a mile exactly (0.95 to be exact).  And one can go continuously with very little interruption by any cross traffic.



Here it is, for a visual reference:

Now, lets just say a guy wanted to do a timed run.  Not a distance run.  And this time was decided to be 3 hours straight.  At an average pace of 10:32 per mile, that came out to 17 miles exactly.  And given that each mile was a little longer then one full loop it stands to reason I actually went around this circle about 20 times.  

Yes, this was a planned torture session with the following factors:

1. The Friday before, my various activities had left my legs feeling tired (one of those activities was a nighttime halfie, funnily enough which was called a "short run").  And I wanted to do a long run on tired legs.  Completely planned.  However, my various activities that Friday, and not just the running, had left my legs far more tired than I had planned.  Still, it was part of the plan.  So I went with it.  
2. I was planning a 3 hour run.  Again, not looking for distance, looking for time here.  I wanted to experience the possible mental fatigue of such an endeavor with its inherent repetition and the effect it can have on a person's stamina.  
3. I would run the first half of this long run in one direction, and reverse direction for the second half.  

Why would a person want to run so many repetitive laps?  That's a burning question which will be answered in time.  But not this time.  But here are a few things I learned from this exercise in monotony:

1. Laps, despite being repetitive, are not specifically horrible.  After a while they seem to just blend together.  I had parked my truck between the ball fields and the armory as a sort of aid station so I could go without carrying anything, and even that as a marker became very non-distinct and just a random stop for snacks and something to drink.  
2. Speaking of drinks, I planned this one a little poorly.  Water and Powerade are not exclusively replaceable.  Both have their specific purposes, and both are beneficial on the long run.  And yes, I had the availabiolity of 2 different drinking fountains, but they are off the beaten path, and I found myself not wanting to stop there very often (which turned into not at all).  As such, I feel like my innards suffered a little bit because of this.  Next time I repeat this exercise, and I will be doing so multiple times, I assure you, I will wear the old hydration vest.  It was a thought I had for this first time, but felt a little silly wearing it in town around a mile long loop.  
3. Snacks on the long run are vital to success.  and while I still seem to have a weird aversion to eating and running, I totally nailed the snack situation and felt perfectly fueled for the whole event.  Also, on the plus side of things, I have a generally iron stomach, and with some amount of experimentation on different snacks and my tolerance to them while in the midst of a long run I feel like I can pretty much eat anything.
1. Except Bacon.  Bacon kills me before a run.  And typically threatens to make a hasty and disgusting oral exit at every stride.  

Running.  Its a passion.  I want to go farther and farther, and often find the act of doing so relaxing and challenging at the same time.  And the feeling of accomplishing the goal is indescribable.  Its so worth it.

And, I know the repetitive nature of the loop is completely a mind game which I know I can overcome, which is for paramount importance.