15 Miles done! No Bears!

Completed the 15 miler this morning.  Longest run of my life (until next week).  It was tough. 
I aimed for an 11:00 pace and came pretty close--averaged 11:04 for a total run time of 2:46:00.

Things that went well.  Yesterday, I hid a couple of gatorades in the pine needles at my 5 and 10 mile marks.  My wife predicted that the racoons were going to enjoy them, but to my delight, they were undisturbed.  In addition to the two little 8oz gatorades, I had the following nutrition:  before the run--a banana and a generous tablespoon of peanut butter.  During the run:  two GU packets (the Lemon Sublime flavor ROCKS!)  I felt totally hungry at about 8.5 miles.  This makes me wonder if I need to get a little more food in me on my Half Marathon day.  Also, despite the early morning hours of the run (left at 4:50 AM and got home at 7:36)  I didn't see a single wild animal.  No bear, no deer, no skunks, no nothing.  That doesn't mean they didn't see me.

Things that hurt:  this was a new mileage territory for me.  Guess what!  My knees hurt, bunion on my right foot was really aching.  Lower abs still hurt--I really think this has to do with all the hills.

I am going to get around the rest of the day (and probably tomorrow) doing the "distance runner shuffle" but I feel pretty good about the day.  Celebrating with a Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich.

154.45 miles down, 69 to go!

The 15 Miler

I shook the magic eight ball and asked it what my long run was supposed to be for this weekend.  The little dice thingy floated to the window and said, "Run 15 miles." 

I've been saving a run out to Paradise Lake for just his distance.  I checked it on MapMyRun and it's just right.  The run is mostly an out and back, but I managed to put a loop in the middle 5 miles for variety's sake.  Two miles of the route are on the dirt trail around a portion of the lake.  Added bonus:  port-a-john's at the lake. 

Down side:  Bears, but then that might just improve my time for the run.