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Ancient run in Jerusalem

The route went up the first 14 km to an altitude of 300 meters, then on a straight plain (14 km) and then downhill again, so to speak, the rest.

My first long run in 2021, I specially cleaned my running vest including drinking bottles. My wife was even so careful and immediately threw everything in the dishwasher - with the result that I felt that I had washing up water up to km 30, after which my friend Carsten came with an electrolyte drink.

The night before there was potatoes ... with chives curd. Anyone who has ever eaten chives knows that there is a relationship to the onion ... so that was not so ideal either.

But apart from that, I ran the first 14 km with a 6-speed average powerful and energetic (300 meters in altitude). I wore Brooks Ghost. Cushioning + dynamics ideal for me. At the top of the plain I wanted to know and then I got a 5 cut and was amazed that the cut was possible for another 8 km without any problems.

Except for the first hours of the morning, the weather was perfect for running.

The next 8 km were also feasible without any problems in the 5 average. That surprised me a little, if I'm honest. I thought I would get in on this route in a 6 over 42k at 4:20.

And then it got exciting.
Until then, I only cared about the pace, breathing and diet. I obeyed or felt into myself. My legs / calves slowly got heavier. It also felt warmer.

I thought I could do a 10 km final sprint under a 5 cut. But I was just able to push myself forward with a 5 series. At 35 km I couldn't find second gear or I couldn't go any further.

In the end I really struggled to keep up the pace. And thus arrived completely exhausted at 42k. And that's what I wanted, I really wanted to have a good time, run a competition for myself, give everything to see where I am currently with a 42cc.

Did i enjoy it Probably not, I was just too exhausted - sure, proud, it's almost 60 minutes better than my best time. But it was also worth it to find out that I have become more stable, faster and simply better. Did it fill me in? Like a long run (50+) in slow pace? No, not quite, I have to be honest about that. The focus was simply on the idea of competition, the achievement of a top performance. And that already challenged me physically and mentally. In the end my wolf chased me - so that I could keep the pace at all;)

The bottom line is that I'm very happy and proud that my legs, muscles, etc. are great, I have a little sore muscles, nothing more.

Of course, it's good to know that I've gotten faster. For me this is a kind of location determination similar to the 10er. But do I really enjoy or enjoy these runs or do I fulfill them? Perhaps too philosophical a question.

Running at the limit is just not that much fun, that's my credo. And still it felt good to see that I developed myself further, that I got a certain basic speed. And after all, I also need this for the next distances (100, 160, 246).

Here is my short summary again:
Equipment (10/10)
Nutrition (4/10)
Route (6/10)
Weather (9/10)
Mental fitness (7/10)
Physical fitness (9/10)
Fun factor (5/10)

So - best 42 time, location determination, so far so good - let's go on;)