2014's first 20-mile long run

RUN 3:10 and 20 miles, pace of about 9:30
BIKE 1:12 and 20 miles, figured why not go for 20

I came into this run with a lot of trepidation. I wondered if I could do 20 miles, when my longest thus far was 16.2 run 2 weeks ago. I wondered if it would be good for my feet to do this. I wondered who I would talk to, or what I could think about. I wondered if I could get one of those podcast thingies for my phone. I wondered where I would run. I wondered when it was going to warm up and be spring.

In what might be considered a lazy move, I chose to run in FoPa. Other options were a trail run (too far of a drive) and running to FoPa from home (no water/bathrooms in between, common commute run). So 3 loops of FoPa it was.

It wasn't cold, but it was mid-30's. Yet it was a beautiful day! And I'm glad I didn't do any podcast thingie. There was plenty to listen to --the crunch-crunch-crunch of my shoes, the same for others around me, the birds, the other runners talking, squirrels moving around in the dry leaves, dogs barking. All that I love about being outdoors!

The first loop started with low momentum, as these always do. I wonder if it's the enormity of the task ahead that weighs me down? I ran this one clockwise and was quickly (and happily) shedding layers of clothing. Dropped them off at the truck, at 6.7 miles and 1:04. Empty, refill, and go back c-clockwise for lap 2.

Things started feeling really good in this lap and I felt like I could run forever like this. My goal pace was 9:30 and I was ticking off 9:30-ish miles one after the other with little effort. My nutrition for this run was Powerbar and gel-fueled. I finally flipped the switch and committed to faster-burning carbs on a 45 minute schedule. Lately I've been dragging through long workouts, time to get smart.

Finished the 2nd loop at 14.2 miles and decided on an out-n-back for the finish. I could have done another lap, but I think the fatigue was catching up to me. In fact, at 17 miles and 2:47 in time, I had to stop to eat my gel early! The 45 min plan said to wait until 3:00 hours, but there's no good reason to stick to a bad plan! That's just being stubborn! The gel felt great by mile 18 :)

By the end: no pains, problems, or complaints. My energy remained good, so good in fact that I rode the trainer for 20 miles as an aerobic extension! This felt amazingly refreshing to my surprise. Gotta keep that trick in mind.