Big Run.

In all the excitement about my homemade cheez-its, I failed to mention my Big Run.

People, I ran an awesome, difficult, and overall super-solid 18-miler on Saturday! It was awesome because I did it. Period. It was difficult because the wind was whipping and my running partner, Melissa, and I found ourselves running into the wind for many of the miles. It was super-solid because I finished faster than I started. Give it up for negative splits!


Speaking of splits, here they are:

Mile 1: 9:34
Mile 2: 9:39
Mile 3: 9:46
Mile 4: 9:21
Mile 5: 9:10
Mile 6: 9:10
Mile 7: 9:17
Mile 8: 9:23
Mile 9: 9:36
Mile 10: 9:35
Mile 11: 10:20
Mile 12: 9:42
Mile 13: 9:41
Mile 14: 9:47
Mile 15: 10:04
Mile 16: 8:52
Mile 17: 8:36
Mile 18: 8:52

Total: 2:50:22, average pace: 9:28

Yes!

I was proud of this run. Melissa and I were talking at the beginning about how we have been feeling sorta cheated -- this winter has been perfect for marathon training (no snow! warm temps!) and yet almost every time we have an important long run, we've experienced either a) temps that are lower (hello, 14 degrees!) than they've been in months or b) wind gusts so strong that the wind advisories don't even do them justice.

On Saturday, we were stuck with b. It was really windy but, fortunately, not too cold. Win! We started our run heading right into the wind for a little over 3 miles and then it was at our backs and sides for the next 8 or so miles until we turned. I think it was right around mile 11 when we had to run back into the wind. Honestly, that was tough. We're apparently tougher than the wind, though, because we pressed on and got it done.

I felt really, really good about this run. My legs felt fine the whole time, I was able to fight through a side cramp around mile 13, and then I picked it up at the end.

It was a Big Run. And I owned it.

Yesterday was a recovery 4-miler and today is REST! I can take that, for sure!

Did you own your weekend runs? How'd they go?

Have a great week, everyone!

~ Felice