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Saturday, August 21, 2010

18 glorious miles!! :)

Finally! I had a good redemption kind of run! It was so much needed. I have to admit, though . . . I wasn't looking forward to this. I mean, after all, 18 miles is a long way and I HATE waking up at 3:40AM on a Saturday morning.

I made sure to eat a lot yesterday and to fuel up!! Apparently, it worked.

This morning, I met up with some friends at 4:30AM to get started. A huge group of runners were starting at 5:30AM, but starting an 18 miler at that hour is simply ridiculous! So, we opted for the early start.

For the first 5 miles, Nicole and I wanted to keep an easy pace and wanted it to fall somewhere between 8:40-8:50. We had to work for the first mile, but after that, it started feeling a little easier.

We met back with everyone else and started the 9 mile group loop. I immediately started running with another girl, Beth, that was running a similar pace. We ended up running the entire loop together. She's running a marathon the week before mine and also had an 18 miler on board. We pushed the pace a little, but for the most part, it felt good. She's also going for a sub 3:40.

After the loop, I still have a little more than 3 miles left. I continued on with Beth for 1.5 miles and then headed back so that I could finish at my car.

I've honestly never felt better during a long run!! If you've been reading my blog as of late, you'll know this hasn't been the case recently.

Here's the stats for all you peeps:

18 miles in: 2:34:25 (8:35 average pace)

8:50
8:42
8:43
8:50
8:45
8:39
8:37
8:28
8:35
8:26
8:20
8:08 (a little too fast ... had to slow down ... my gel worked a little too well)
8:27
8:38
8:26
8:27
8:35
8:41


Wore the Mizunos for the first 5 miles and then changed back into my Asics 2150s. After switching back, I think I'm okay to run longer in the Mizunos. I think they'll quickly become my favorite.

6 comments:

  1. redemption runs are the best. and it looks like you had one heck of a run! that is sooooooo awesome and speedy!!

    do you think running with others helped you feel so good? i've been thinking of trying to hook up with a running group in my new city...particularly for long runs

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  2. Fantastic job!! Sweet redemption. Love it when the mind & body both cooperate.

    Great split times too!

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  3. Way to hit those 18, I think all the food helped:) I know the redemption feeling, it's great, I am so happy you had an awesome run! Glad to hear you liked the mizunos, I wore the asics today-blah, ready to make the switch but am waiting for my 20. Can't wait to see you in just about 60 days! So excited!

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  4. Congrats on a great run!
    I just got new shoes today, not sure they will replace my old 2150s. It sounds like you like the Mizunos. The last time I tried Mizunos, they felt too low (height-wise).

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  5. Great job on the run. Redemption runs are always the best.

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