I didn't run this weekend. I had a lot of shin pain and chose to take the entire week off - including the Saturday morning 19 mile training run. Just so you know, it was an incredibly difficult decision to take off. As much as I'm not one of those runners who needs to get on the trail/treadmill every day, I really need the long run during marathon season. The long run gives me something I don't get during the week. I think it's a combination of camaraderie and motivation plus physical and mental endurance training. It's certainly not easy and it seems ridiculous, even to me, that I would actually want to go out and run 19 miles. But I need those 19, 20, 22 mile training runs to remind myself that I can actually do this.
So instead of running, I was the Sag Wagon. The Sag Wagon is the support vehicle. Originally found in bicycle races, there are Sag Wagons in all events - there to make sure you're OK. There to make sure you have what you need. There to support the runners, bikers, walkers, whatever.
I got up at the same time and dressed for the run but then I loaded the car with the appropriate support items:
1 dozen pecan cinnamon pinwheels cut in fourths
1 bag gummy Lifesavers
1 bag assorted bite sized chocolate bars (Milky Way, Snickers, Three Musketeers etc.)
1 bag honey wheat pretzel sticks
Ice, Gatorade, water, cups
First aid kit, Advil, paper towel, sunscreen, tissues
After cheering my team before the start, and hanging out and cheering everyone else who was running, I headed off to the top of Winstead hill. Winstead is a particularly grueling hill. We introduce it early in the training, and use it for repeats. We run Winstead every single weekend. It is worse than the actual hill we run in the marathon.
There is a water/Powerade station at the top of Winstead and usually the sun is just coming up when we get to the top (at about the 4.5 mile mark). My group looked wiped out and cold. They weren't ready to shed extra clothing yet (another nice thing the Sag Wagon provides). I picked up Anthony from Yellow 1 whose shin was hurting him and took him back to the the parking lot. I picked up coach Jill who had just finished her 5 miles with the Half Marathon group and we headed off to Swiss Avenue.
Swiss is one of my favorite parts of the training and the marathon course. It's lined with beautiful, historic homes, many of which are decorated for Hallowe'en this time of year. We met the runners coming back from the turnaround (about 7 or 8 miles into the run). We handed out candy and gummy lifesavers. Jill had brought GU and Sport Beans and we handed those out. The runners were in the zone. Then we got a call to pick up Isaac who had a groin pull. Isaac is a coach so, instead of going back to the parking lot, he decided to ride with us.
The last stop was the top of the last hill. Branchfield is a long hill at about the 15 mile mark. There is a house at the top of the hill with a red car in the driveway. The car always seems to be there and our mantra up that last hill is "run to the red car, run to the red car...".
We stopped the Sag Wagon at the top of the hill and laid out the spread. It was like a little party. Runners stopped for Advil, candy, tissues, cinnamon rolls, pretzels, GU, water and Gatorade. Jackets, sweatshirts and gloves were shed. It wasn't just my Red 2 group, it was anyone and everyone! We knew they only had about 4 miles to go, but sometimes those last miles on the west side of the lake, with the sun now high in the sky, can be the hardest. I only hope a little candy and a few endorphins got them through it.