I had to stall a bit for my long run on Friday. I needed to go for the run at 11am instead of 8:30am, to simulate Boston starting time. Zoe kept me company and made me stay right where I was for a few hours.
I kept in mind what my coach (aka Alan!) told me before I went out for my long run – “Don’t go too fast. At this point running too fast will do nothing but potentially cause problems.” So that’s just what I did. I put a program on my watch to keep my speed down for the first 10 miles, then take it a little faster for the next 8, and finish with 2 faster, stronger miles. I was getting nervous about the wind, the chill and my starting time. On the way out the door I even grabbed my fleece vest. I was glad to have on my fleece tights one more time, and the vest was a very welcome addition to my outfit.
It was a bit windy out so I plotted my course based on the winds. For the first 8 miles I ran around some neighborhoods I have not run through. My watch kept telling me to “slow down”. Much better than seeing “speed up”! Then I thought I better head into the wood because I was looking forward to doing some more exploring today. I got to the woods at mile 13. When I figured out the math, I calculated that I needed to turn back at mile 14 to hit 20. But I just wasn’t believeing that. It seemed like my car was closer in the other direction.
When I got into the woods I was enticed by the peaceful scenery! Isn’t there a dozen fairy tales (or horror movies?) that start like that? It really was super pretty and the trails were soft for my feet. Ahhh!
I wandered down a few trails and surprised myself by not getting lost. Bonus! I’m surprised at how many miles I have run around my town and never really gone into the woods much at all. That will have to change.
I was happy that my paces were just where they needed to be – giving me a negative split for the run! Booyah! But of course I didn’t do that running math quite right and ended up a bit over 21 miles for me run. The funny part was that my Garmin program ended right at 21. Ended. I looked down and it had stopped tracking my distance. Well poo on that! I was still at least a quarter of a mile from my car, with sore legs, so I just walked the rest of the way 🙂 It’s all good.
My last run over 3 hours before Boston. Now just hoping the real Spring weather happens soon!!
Q: Your favorite drink during the day?
A: I am strictly a water drinker. I think I drank 3 gallons a day when I had that sore throat this week!!
Q: Do you prefer salty snacks or sweets?
A: I try not to buy a lot of salty snacks… because I wouldn’t stop eating them! But I do keep a stash of chocolate chips in my freezer and I grab a small handful every day!
I am strictly a water (and coffee!) drinker too. I actually hate fizzy drink, and so does my mum and my sis, it’s like a weird genetic quirk in our family haha. Great job on the huge run! You are so brave for running in the woods alone! That’s not dangerous where you live? Nz is typically a very safe country but our native bush is very dense and dark so I find it a bit freaky to run alone in it!
I love sweet snacks (LOLLIES MMMM) but I try not to keep them in the house because I have no control around them whatsoever. I like salty food in meals but not so much as snack food, I never crave that kind of thing like I do the sweet stuff 🙂
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The woods are in the town metropark, which is right off the public bike trail, so I feel quite safe on it. I do tend to run a lot on days that aren’t busy, so I rarely see anyone out. But when I do, I obsessively start committing all details to memory – how tall was the person, what were they wearing, etc, etc. Maybe a bit too much?? ha I normally feel pretty safe, but I recently heard a story about a female runner which creeped me out so I have been running with my phone, and I always carry mace spray with me in my water bottle, in case I encounter any angry dogs (I’m terrified of barking dogs!!). Despite all of that, it really is quite safe where I run, although I would take a running buddy with me any day I could just for the great conversation 🙂