weekend long run fun

Got up yesterday morning to a drizzle. It was pitch black as I went out to Highbanks to meet the gang. It was still pitchblack when I got there; fall is catching up with us! Mike was there only to tell us he wasn’t running. Set out with Doug (a few others went on ahead) for a rainy 6. Felt ok, met Bob after 6 and we headed out again. I was the only one who didn’t have a change of clothes for this second loop, the guys were a bit drier to start off again. I was wearing my trail running shoes, which are a tad tight, and as we started the second loop, I felt a sensitive spot. I dropped out within a half mile or so. I knew Mike and Meredith were running the next morning, so I planned to go out with them.

The next morning it was rainier, and foggier – I couldn’t see across the street when I got up, so I decided to wait to see if the day got better. Went back to sleep til 9:30, unheard of! But obviously I needed it. Eventually at 12:30 or so I went out, and it had turned into a beautiful day, I wore a tank top and shorts. Nice!

Ran from Antrim (where I ran into Andrea and her friend Suzanne – they’d just finished their 20 miler for Chicago) south.. not sure how far, as after Tuttle Park I couldn’t find any more mile markers. I went out to 5th Ave.

I ran it harder than I should have, particularly since I hadn’t eaten before, and didnt bring any water or gu or anything. But even when I tried to slow down, it didn’t happen. The last mile or two, my knee was getting sore, so I hope that doesn’t bother me when I meet Meredith for speedwork tomorrow!

We start a bit off a half mile marker, so I’ve only included the full miles:

1: 8:19 (whoops! too fast! tried to slow down)
2: 8:42
3: 8:34
4: 8:15 (this one goes off the trail onto a road and I always maintain it’s short)
5: 8:20
6: 19:02 – this was where I lost the mile markers, and eventually turned
7: 17:37 – evidently I was glad to be going back to familiar (marked) territory
8: 8:00 stopped partway through this mile to catch my breath.
9: 8:22
10: 8:15 – stopped at the Park of Roses for water. MMMMmmmm, water.
11: 8:24 – I knew there wasn’t much left, but I was starting to want to be done
12: 8:36 – This last full mile I was passed by at least 20 people on bikes. Sometimes they’d move to the opposite lane, other times they’d breeze by. It was really frustrating and I let myself concentrate on that moreso than running.

First half: 1:04:48
Final: 2:07:26

Yup, despite slowing down at the end, I still pulled off a negative split time. Still don’t know exactly how far I ran, but it was a good effort. Hurrah!