14 Miler This Weekend

I ran this morning to get my 14 mile run in. I wanted to sleep in but knew if I did, I'd probably skip. Meeting a running group holds me accountable even though they don't know if I'll be there.  I was debating between the North Park Running group, a running group downtown that meets at Washington's Landing, and running on my own. I know I skip on my own so didn't want that. At the time that I went to bed I didn't where the group meetings at our around Washington's landing and the person I know wouldn't be there so I wouldn't recognize anyone and it is further away and scary to drive to. That left the North Park group that I ran with last weekend and knew at least one person to recognize. I met a bunch more but they are all a blur.

I went with North Park.  We started with the 8 mile loop that we did last week. It is really only 7.87 miles. Then I ran around the standard loop. I was going to add on at one point and run out and back to get an extra mile but decided against that method.

The one runner that I knew I'd recognize ran extra with me. She ran about 1.5 miles of the loop with me and then she turned around.

My Garmin started warning me low battery with 40 minutes left! I was stressing out. I decided not to add on at the skate rink and just to run the loop then run past it and double back. I figured I could use imapmyrun for the additional or hope the battery lasted. If the battery died, I did consider just quitting.

I ran the entire way, but with the running group we did stop for water as a group a few times. Also people used the portajohns at that point too. I would stop my timer and sometimes forget to start it back up. I extrapolated the data that I missed for the .83 that I missed, but I may have been low because at that point it was level and the lady I was with mentioned a few times we were going to fast and had to slow down.  When I get to the part I know, I guess I was going faster. 

The hill at the beginning is hard. It kind of sucks starting with it because it makes me more tired the rest of the workout but if it was near the end, I would be too dead to make it up it. While I run up it and it takes forever then there are more hills I actually like it because I think about how I need to do more hill work and it will help me improve more.

Around 13 miles in I was thinking how I could do an even 15 but then with the threats of my Garmin dying I did not.  I even almost stopped at 13.5 because I feared it would die.  It did actually last but it started warning me more often near the end.

I did not wear my water belt. I had my energy chews and I didn't eat a single one.  I didn't have to do walk/run today.  When I was running my last loop I was hoping for 10 minute pace and each time I beat 2:30 for the split, I would be happy with my bonus seconds.  Sometimes I was slower than 2:30 so I had to use up my bonus seconds. I did not like doing that. 

After I was home, I didn't need to ice my knee. I grabbed 2 cheese sticks (like string cheese but cheddar cheese. They aren't in string form so I don't know what to call them) and started analyzing my data. This picture is me after my run. I don't look too bad. It seemed like an easy run. I am feel better than I did with distance this past March. I felt better with speed for medium distances the previous April.  My weekends haven't been jam-packed with things to do but my weekends have been a bit busy and it will all only get worse. I need to keep this up throughout the holidays.