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!

Chocolate Milk

Paradise is a constant hill. I live at 2,200 feet and no matter where I run there are always hills to descend and ascend. Today's run was the perfect case in point. I wanted something different for my long run--needed to put in about 9 miles. I ended up just running the length of the walking trail that goes through town. The only problem is that this trial drops over 680 feet in elevation over that distance.

I started with one mile up--bought a gatorade from the gas station (the only store that's open at 5AM). And then it was down for the next 4.9 miles. That's ok, I mean I enjoy downhill as much as the next guy, but I prefer to do it on the homeward part of the journey. Today, every step down reminded me that I had to come back up.

To make matters worse, on the return leg, I got to run uphill and into the breeze. But do you know what makes it all worthwhile? It wasn't the Gatorade, or the Clif Bar that I ate along the way. It was the chocolate milk waiting for me at home. Yummmm, chocolate milk--the perfect recovery drink.