11 > 15

No, I did not fail 1^st grade math. Yes, I do possess a Bachelor’s degree. I understand that 11 is not larger than 15 mathematically BUT on the pain scale of my recent long runs, 11 miles is WAY more painful than 15 miles. Why is that? If you remember my post here about how 11 miles kicked my butt, then you will be shocked to hear that yesterday’s 15 miles was exhilarating. I felt strong, had no problems breathing, even skipped a few walk breaks and finished strong! I have not ever finished a double digit run and felt that strong. The only hard part about yesterday’s run was the 45-degree temperature combined with the wind advisory. It was an ice-cold run and I found myself running just to keep warm. I guess it did the trick because my run was epic.

I will admit that I was dreading these 15 miles. I was supposed to have run them last Thursday, but I was on antibiotics for a TMI infection and decided to sleep the day away. If I had run that day or even the next day, I would have died from heat exhaustion because our temps were pushing 80+. I went camping with the cub scout pack on Saturday. The day was gorgeous and warm. By Saturday night, the temps dropped 30 degrees and the wind started up. Thank you Sandy. By the time we got home on Saturday, we had a slight drizzle. I listened to the winds howl all Sunday night. Monday morning, I stayed in bed extra long, trying to keep warm. Then I chided myself out of bed and into my running clothes.

Long sleeves, a fleece vest, hat and gloves combined with plenty of water and gels and I was out the door. The wind was bitterly cold and would change directions so it felt like the whole 15 miles was with a head wind. I didn’t care about a time; my run was all about the distance. I swallowed gels at miles 3, 6, 9. & 12. I finished all four of my water bottles and stopped by the house for a refill. If I felt strong and my timer was going off, I would skip the walk break. I found that I kept warmer by moving. If I walked in the first half, it was only for 30 seconds just to keep warm. I have often wondered if I would be able to run a half without using the Galloway plan and yesterday’s run proved to me that I can; someday.

Looking at my splits, I am very happy with my pace. I averaged an 11:35 min pace which is really good for me for long distances. I only had one mile break 13 minutes (mile 10) and even then, it was only 13:09.8. It is my goal to keep all of my (mile) splits under 13 minutes and especially under 12 minutes for my race. (I only had two miles in the 12 minute pace) After yesterday’s run, I am confident that I can do that in 3 ½ weeks. Keeping my fingers crossed that I can stay healthy and strong!!!

It’s a great day for running!!!