Week 14 - 4 day running streak and Air Force 10k

So I'm getting sick of running the same routes all the time.

Decided to venture out of my comfort zone this week a little and set up a few new neighborhood paths to try.

Monday was a 6 mile run and it felt considerably cooler.  I tried a new neighborhood and did have to consult google maps to find my way back at one point.  I am certainly directionally challenged!  This neighborhood had a few different entry ways so when everything looks similar it can cause me to get turned around.  Managed about 10:26 mm pace for this one. 

Wednesday was a little longer at 7 miles . Had to cross a kind of busy road which I don't really enjoy doing, but it was the only way to get to a few new neighborhoods. I reevaluated the decision before the run, and since it's busy but only has 2 lanes and I'd be running during the daytime I felt ok about it.  I usually will not run on a road without a sidewalk just due to my own fears of cars hitting me.

But I looked at how long I'd even have to be on it and it wasn't long.  Basically just enough to get to the next turn for the following neighborhood.  So I decided on best practices during those runs, only on the left side of the road, no headphones in my ears during those times.  And I always wear a road ID bracelet.  The new neighborhoods felt like unexplored territory which was nice.  I had mapped out which roads and approximately how many miles.  Also, there is only one entry into each of the neighborhoods and the rest were cul de sacs so I felt like it would be hard for even me (as directionally challenged as I am) to get lost.  Managed a similar pace of 10:29 mm.

Thursday was a 6 mile run again.  Ran a 10:07 mm pace on a not very exciting route (mostly main streets with sidewalks). I was able to get negative splits so that felt good.

Friday I hadn't planned on running because I had a race scheduled for Saturday and was figuring out how I was going to get 12 weekend miles.  The race was a 10k so I randomly surveyed some of my running group and luckily someone was available Friday afternoon.  I hadn't run with her before and she has a faster pace but she was nice enough to slow it down for me.  She had run a trail race Thursday and was ok with that.

However, did not anticipate the heat which made me have to stop several times.  I apologized but she didn't mind the stops.  Then a train crossed the road we were running on which made for an unexpected break.  Finished this one at about 10:09 mm pace which wasn't bad considering I had to stop a few times.

Saturday was race day.  It was a bit complicated as this was the Air Force Marathon, Half, 10k all starting on the same day.  The 5k was the night before.  I drove Friday night to my friend's house.  She had picked up all of our stuff for us so that made it easier.  It also was good to have a place to stay.  The next morning we got up early at 4am because our plan was to catch the shuttle over to the race start line.  We heard thunder at 4am but were hoping the storm might leave before the race.

We got ready and left at 5am after eating something, We arrived for the shuttle around 5:20 and got on.  Then the shuttles didn't move for an hour.  No one told us what was going on so I checked on my phone.  Start was supposed to be at 7:30.  However, there was still lightning in the area, so the start was delayed until 8am.   Eventually around 6:15 the buses moved to the start.  I didn't mind too much because I was sitting.  I'm not sure how fun it would be if you were standing on the bus.  They had asked everyone to stay in their vehicle due to the storm.

I was sitting next to a person running the full so we talked about his training and how he was hoping to finish today.  The ladies I came with were sitting on a different part of the bus due to lack of seating.

Once we got there it looked like the storm was gone.  The sky started to clear and we found a place to sit in one of the tents with tables and chairs.  Things got underway, and I enjoyed the course, especially the two Ospreys that flew over before the start.  We did a 10/2 interval plan which was my friend's goal and finished better than she expected.  The water stops were frequent which was great.  Also got a really awesome medal, shirt, patch and a hat.

(Our commemorative patch)

(Shoe selfie!)

(Front and back of medals)

Would recommend this one to others.  It does tend to be  hot time of year so as long as the weather cooperates, it would be enjoyable.  The only downside is that it's not very shady being on base and on main roads a lot of the time.  But it was cloudy most of the time for us, so it wasn't too bad.  The humidity was a little bit high but it wasn't full sun.

Next week is a bigger week mileage wise.  7/6/5/20 total of 38 miles.  Then it's taper time!  I may revise my taper plan a little upon getting some new advice about cutting back mileage 20% the first week of taper and 25% the second week.  More on that later.

Week 13 - You know you're a runner when you buy stylish compression socks to wear with your work outfits

Monday was a 6 mile day but was also Labor Day.  I signed up for a community race several months ago and forgot about it somewhat.  Then I saw packet pickup was on my calendar and remembered.  So I made a plan to meet a new person I haven't run with before at the start of the race about an hour beforehand.  Enjoyed running with a new person, always makes for new conversation.  I did 2.3(ish) miles to warm up for the race with her (avg pace 9:57). I remembered that when I ran this race last year it was only 3.8 miles instead of the 4 miles it was billed to be.  I had a really great result last year and it would have been a PR.  But I was hesitant to count it last year because it was significantly shorter than 4 miles.

This year's plan was to push it pretty hard and maybe even to the max of my comfort level to try to PR again.  I am typically competitive with myself when I'm running a race I already did (can current me beat younger me kind of thing).  My hope was that it would be closer to 4 miles this time. I discovered upon arrival at the start, that they changed the course slightly and moved the start to a farther away location.  This made the race 3.91 miles... according to my watch anyway.  Once again I pushed myself more than I usually would.  The first mile was really fast (for me, anyway) and I looked down and saw 8:42 at the beep.  The day was far cooler and less humid than last year's same race.  The next 2.91 miles I had between 8:57-9:04 but basically was able to hold a pretty good pace.  I've decided to count the new PR for 4 miles but I'm not sure if it's really accurate.  However, I asked the question "Had I not been wearing my watch, would I have counted this as a 4 mile PR?" I probably would have.... So I will... but it's unlikely I'll be beating that one for a while, if ever...

I hadn't run a race where I really felt compelled to go fast in a while.  Usually my body and mind are screaming at me to quit running so fast if I get that pace in a training run.  I've also been training in extremely hot/humid weather and since it's a marathon distance with long runs 13+ I've been working on pulling the pace to a slower and more comfortable level . So with this in mind, I wasn't actually sure if I could do a less than 9 min/mile pace for any longer than a mile at this point.  I found myself pleasantly surprised.  The weather being better certainly helped.

This race prompted me to think about post marathon goals.  I signed up for 3 relatively inexpensive 5k's (Thanksgiving Day, December/holiday themed, and New Year's Day).  Other than that, I only have one other race (a mid January 7.5 miler) planned for 2017.  I have a half marathon in late March/early April in mind but so far no registration opening for that one.

So, I'm thinking after this I need to chill out some.  That doesn't mean I'd never try to do another full, but maybe it would be better for a milestone birthday coming up...

It crosses my mind periodically that I'd like to run a sub 2 hour half marathon some day.  Then I start to wonder if I'd really be able to hold that pace for that long.. another thought for another day... maybe a new training plan required for this goal.

Ok, I digress...

Wednesday did 7 miles which was a step down from my midweek run last week which was 8 miles.  I welcomed the break and ran at a decent pace. (10:18)

Thursday felt some fatigue and the heat/humidity was awful so was able to do about 5 miles just over 11min/mile.  I realized that after the race Monday and then 2 other fast(ish) runs this week that I needed to have a more relaxed pace.  I also tried running in a new neighborhood for about a mile and found out that it was hilly and the lack of sidewalks made it mostly unpleasant.  Not sure I'll be going there again.

Saturday had a 19 miler on the schedule and agreed to meet at a different trail because as mentioned earlier, I'm getting sick of the same places and same trails.  Met some other runners getting 19 miles as well at 6(ish)am, but now it's dark at that hour so I brought my headlamp.  I didn't realize it was so low on battery so the light was kind of eh... But it got me through the first 3.5-4 miles until the sun came up, and we met up with a local running group at 7 who were planning on 15 miles.  I really enjoyed the trail and it didn't seem that bad.  It was a shady trail for the most part.  There was one spot where the sun was out that seemed unbearable, but it was over after a few miles.  19 miles actually went rather quickly, considering...as quickly as 3.5 hours of running can go.  Kept a decent 11 min/mile pace.  Considering it was 73 degrees and high humidity when we started, I was happy with this.  It was nice to run with a group again because the 18 miler was tough to do solo.  Distance PR!  Until the 20 mile run in 2 weeks.

Next week is a shorter long run . Then one last week with a long run until taper...

Week 14 will be: 6/7/6/12  =31 miles.  I might need to break the 12 miler up into two 6 mile runs due to my weekend schedule.  But that's ok.  I could use a change.

Week 12... a fun week with great weather

I really enjoyed this week of training.  And the reason why was that I tried some new areas to run and just focused on getting it done.

Temperatures and humidity were far better this week.  My pace saw a dramatic improvement.

5 miler on Monday... modified a neighborhood path a little to make it slightly longer and a little more interesting.  10:29 pace... felt nice and not too rushed.

8 miler on Wednesday, ran out and back a different route.  I had been going to the metropark but decided to try something different.  Not sure if I actually liked the route or not, but the run felt good.  It was hotter at that point though.  Pace was 10:42

5 miler on Thursday, a good pace day (9:53).  Same path as Monday . But I like this way enough that I might keep it as a regular rotation for 5 mile possibilities.

13 miler on Saturday (had to make it 13.14 though because that seemed better to run a half marathon distance... yes, I'm weird like that).  10:18 pace which I was really happy with.  I haven't run that fast on a long run in quite a while.  The nice part was it felt great during the whole run.  Didn't even think I was really pushing it because I didn't look much at my watch . I love those kind of runs.  A funny thing did happen to me, though.  At the running group Saturday we typically take a weird route to get to the park.  I forgot where the turnoff was due to my spacing out during a good song and missed the point I was supposed to turn into the woods.  I found myself looking around, and all the condominiums there look pretty much the same.  Found a way to get back on track but it was a weird feeling.  I get lost sometimes, I admit it...

Next week I increase again... doing a 19 miler (wow) next weekend.  Already planned with someone else training for the marathon where we're going to meet.  It will be a different trail but that's fine with me, because my old hangouts are getting old...

Next week: 6/7/5/19...37 miles... another high mileage week.  Going to take this long run a little slower on purpose.

Week 11... Marathon training ramps up...18 miler out of town on an unfamiliar trail... getting it done

I didn't plan on running Monday after the trail race Sunday.  But then the weather was perfect, and I realized that I really wanted to run . I really felt like running (ala Forrest Gump).  So I did. For 6 miles.  It was 75 degrees but the dew point was low at 55 and humidity 50%.  It was pretty much a perfect day to run.  Slight breeze in the air as well.  And my pace was 10:07 which I didn't expect after the trail race.  I'd been loving the change in the weather but I knew it wouldn't stay that way all week.

Wednesday run was another lower humidity day.  Temperature was down a bit, too.  However, my legs finally "felt" the trail run and 6 miler from Monday and pace was slower.  But this was fine as I felt pretty good through most of it. Most of the runners and walkers on the metropark path seemed happier as the humidity and temperature were lower than they had been in a while for about 3 days straight.  But that was about to change, unfortunately a turn to hotter temperatures started Wednesday afternoon.

Thursday did a 4 miler in the neighborhood.  Pace was 10:53 as I was showing some increased fatigue, higher temperatures and humidity... Decided to think about how to approach the 18 miler Saturday . I'd been trying to plan for a course since I'd be out of town and not as familiar with the area.  Did some mapping on the computer and came up with a plan.

Saturday was the out of town run.  It was a trail system I had run on before, but never this far south.  It runs along the WV side of the Ohio River in Wheeling, WV (Wheeling Heritage Trail).  I previously did a 13 miler after my beach trip on part of this trail.  This time I had 18 to do and planned to go south for about 6-7 miles (according to my calculations) and then planned to connect to another trail and go east.  However, I changed my plan. I realized if I continued north past my start point, there would be more shade opposed to heading east.  I also had never been on the east part of the trail that connected to this one and I decided it was better not to venture somewhere I wasn't sure of.  I had run the north part of this trail many times in the past and was familiar with it.  So that's what I did... also encountered some beautiful views during the run

 Wanted to set a steady pace between 10:45-11 and for the most part I was able to achieve this (10:49 average pace).  A few times I slowed down and a few times I sped up.  But I kept an eye on my pace and tried to be mindful.

This was not the view from the trail, but a view from another bridge of an area that I ran past (WV side of the river).  The trail goes next to this park.

One of the bridges I passed

Went past this historic tobacco factory which was on the south end of the city

Scenic view coming back.  I enjoyed this part of the run, as there were a lot of clearings and I could see the Ohio side of the river and all the bridges very well.

At the north end of the trail when I started back, there was a dam and locks.  I was glad to see this, as I knew I was approaching the end of my run (I've run this part before).

I was pleased to get a 18 mile distance PR on Saturday.  This was a heavy week mileage wise.  It was important to bring electrolyte water (nuun) a few gu's and a honey stinger waffle that I had at the half way point of this run.  I also brought my camelbak 50oz of water with me.  The backpack was a bit heavy at the start but I really needed it. In my mapping, I also noted where a few gas stations, convenience stores, and other places that might have restrooms were located.  I think this is an important thing to do when one is doing long runs (especially solo long runs).

Next week mileage goes down a bit.  Then the following week, I have a 19 miler scheduled.  Really just 2 extremely long runs remain before the marathon.  So I have to try to get that done in order to feel good about it.  I know 26.2 is going to be a bit more than 20, but from what I've heard people usually can run 26.2 if they've done their training.  I'm not sure it's a good idea to go too much more than 20 miles... however I have heard varying opinions on the mileage of one's last long run... Either way, I think sticking to 20 is my plan.

Week 12 will be 5/8/5/13 for a total of 31 miles.

Week 10... Good running and a Review of the Hoot Half Marathon (Trail Run)

An interesting 5 mile run on Monday.  Had planned to do it at around 7:30 am as part of my morning routine but then a really bad thunderstorm was predicted around 8:00.  It was predicted, but didn't really get underway until maybe 8:30.  So I probably could have done it then, but the radar looked scary and I wasn't sure about risking it.  I estimated I'd be able to get a few miles in but if a really bad storm broke out, it could be a bad plan.

As a result, ended up going to work and running 5 over my lunch break.  Ran down a different trail but I did enjoy it.  Ran past the University stadium where the marching band was practicing.  Made for kind of a fun (but humid after the storm passed) kind of run.  Had to stop a few times due to heat, but overall it was a good one.  The only thing that's weird about running at work is then I have to feel gross for the rest of the day.  But you do what you have to do, right?

Wednesday I tried something new and ran to the local metropark.  It worked out well to get 8 miles in from my starting point and I needed a change of scenery.  You can only run your neighborhood or areas near where you work so many times and you get tired of it . Especially during marathon training.  So I kept hearing we were to get a bad storm that day again.  Mostly just rain, but downpours.  Lightning and thunder were not predicted and looking at accuweather again it was just a steady light rain.  So I decided to go for it . And I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  I'm not a huge fan of rain soaked shoes but I managed to pretty much keep a 10:30 pace the entire time with minimal stopping.  One stop at halfway to gu up and go.  Solo run with new headphones, visor and pouring down rain but it was very nice.  Makes me remember why I ever started running in the first place during runs like this one.

Thursday was a shorter run, only 4 miles this time.  Managed a similar pace but it was a little bit more humid and less rainy.  Nothing too exciting about this one.  Just a typical neighborhood run.

Sunday was my first trail half marathon and my 5th ever half marathon.  I knew this would be a tough 13.1 as I looked at last year's times and found a few people I have known in my running group who run either the same pace or faster than I am in a typical race.  For the 10k, a person about my same pace (maybe slightly faster) had about 1:30... for a 10k.  For the half, one of the fastest people I've run with had just over 3 hours for the half.  So... I braced myself for a tough trail race.  Over 3 hours, most likely (and it was 3:35).  What makes this one so hard is that there are tons and tons of tree roots, rocks, creeks, bridges, downed trees to hop over, etc all along the path.  Most of the path is either grass or dirt with some gravel parts (but not many).  The elevation changes are constant. They aren't actually as bad as the elevation changes in the Wheeling Ogden Half that I wrote about in May but it feels like it because of all the roots and rocks and mud...

Yes, and my Garmin tracked a path that looked very similar to this!
I averaged a 16:00/mile pace.  But the funny thing was, I felt like I was moving the entire time.  There were a few stops but not many.  A group of 4 of us did the trail run and I think all of us fell at least one time (or more) over tree roots or some other obstacle.
The place actually is very beautiful and scenic.  I'd love to go there and just to a leisurely hike some day with my family.  The problem on this trail run was that to look at the scenery while running meant that you might forget to look at your feet and go flying over a tree root and injuring yourself!
I'm thankful for my awesome running friends for making it be actually not that bad.  I think doing it alone would be super tough.
Was very grateful to see some running buddies volunteering along the course at the aid stops. We did ok until mile 11.5 where it wasn't clearly marked where to go and we got to this section that went out onto the road.  We're running for maybe 0.2 mile and my friends and I start to wonder, what happened to all the arrows.  This doesn't seem right... We head back and retrace our steps. Turns out we missed an arrow.  I was pretty exhausted by that point about 3 hours in and made a joke about how maybe we slipped into another dimension and went to another period in time... Because it looked like a deserted finish line where we ended up.  We joked that maybe we had been out so long that they packed it up.  Luckily, it was just a wrong turn.  I was a little bitter about having to finish up 0.4 miles going back in the woods for a second after I saw how close we were to the finish.  The race organizers felt it was 0.4 mile short so they had everyone do that.  I think after getting lost for about 0.4 miles I felt like I should be done... after all, I already did the 13.1... I actually ended up with 13.49 for my final mileage.  But it's ok, we did it.  It was a relief to see our friend from the running group cheering us all in at the end.  Felt so good to finish!

A flat section of the trail

Traversing some of the terrain.  Don't let this picture fool you.  Tons of roots sticking up every where causing falls, and some sprained ankles from what I heard from other runners.  Really have to be careful on these trails.  They even do a winter series here!  Ice plus tree roots... wow!

Beautiful part of the lake trail where it's pretty flat.  There weren't many sections like this!

Anyway, I did get my mileage in for the week.

Week 11 should be a doozy.  6 / 8 / 4 / 18.... for a total of 36 miles.  Probably going to be one of my longer marathon training weeks with a nice wrap up on a new trail this Saturday.  I'm going to have to track the path I'm taking (out of town again) and try to figure out where some convenience stores, gas stations and fast food places are along the way.  I know there is a distinct possibility I may need to stop in somewhere to get water and other essentials.  I've learned now... 

Week 9 ... I'm starting to wonder if it's just getting hotter every week

This week was a high mileage week without question.  Unquestionably the highest mileage week I've ever done to this point.

And yet it seems to just get hotter and hotter as the summer goes on.

Another issue was that with the new school year starting I had to change the timing of my runs a little bit to work with bus stop pickup.

I also started to lengthen the weekday runs per my schedule which can make it difficult to get it done before it really starts to heat up.

Monday - 6 mile run.  Was able to do this one in the morning.  I had the best pace this week with 10:01 for this one.  My Wednesday and Thursday runs were 10:19 and 10:27... The heat wasn't as bad for Monday's run so it allowed me to feel ok about a faster pace.

Weds - This was a tough one only because I had to start at almost 8am due to the bus schedule for school.  But I was able to get my 7 miles in.  Definitely needed to take some breaks for the heat.

Thurs - was able to get up early to do this one.  I was grateful for that.  It was a 4 miler so also went by fairly quickly.  Pace was slower, but felt pretty good about this one.  Going early in the morning makes a big difference.  As soon as the summer sun comes up, it really increases the uncomfortable feeling.

Saturday - 77 degrees and 74 dew point when I started at 6:30 am.  Thankfully, I had a friend meeting me for my 17 miler.  She was willing to do 9 with me.  Which is always a help, no matter how many miles a person can hang out for support.  It was great to catch up with her and things went great.  We purposely set a slower pace at 11/mile.  Everything was great until the heat started to get to me and my stomach did not feel good around mile 6.5-7.  I kept hoping for a rest spot but I knew the nearest one was a convenience store at mile 8.  I made it but my friend moved on... which was fine and I told her to because I wasn't sure how long I would hold her up and I knew she wanted to be done.  The running store was only a mile from there so I had confidence I'd make it there eventually.  That break pretty much re-energized me and the weather turned.  Clouds rolled in as well as a nice breeze.  I decided to head to the running store and try to finish up my remaining 8 miles.

Before this 17 miler (which is my distance PR now) I had done a 16 miler back in April on a snowy day.  This day was the complete opposite.  I really wanted to have that distance PR.  Since the running store does a 5 mile loop I didn't want to get so discouraged that I'd just do the 5 and finish at 14 miles.  So I did what I felt was the most logical way to get 17 without quitting.  I did 1.5 miles of the 5 mile loop, came back to the running store, got a drink of water, and finished up with the 5 mile loop.  The running store employees are always so encouraging and I love being able to have that oasis there to drop in on.  Stopped due to the heat several times in people's yards in the shade.  Sat down in the grass a few times.  Was overjoyed to see sprinklers and run through them.  Also this was my first run with a camelbak which really helped me.  50 oz of water was needed!  And brought nuun water as well as some gels to replenish energy

Another thing I'm working on is what to eat before a long run.  I usually don't want to eat but probably should.  I know I'd have more energy.  But it's hard to know what won't cause stomach irritation, especially with the hot temperatures.

I sit here watching the Olympic Women's Marathon.  It's amazing how fast these ladies are.  Especially when the announcer says they are "holding back" their pace and they are at mile 19 and 1:44 into it.  That's incredible.  Under 2 hours is my dream half marathon time...

Next week I cut back a little which is going to be good for me.

Week 10 - 5 / 8/ 4 / 13... the 13 mile is a trail race that I'm just going to have fun with and not worry about the time.  30 miles next week.

Week 8 - Or why one should never attempt to run in 90 degree weather and 72 dew point...

This week was a lot hotter than previous weeks.  I didn't that that was possible after North Carolina, but somehow most of the lows never made it into the 60s this week.  The temperatures of my running days were: 84 on Monday (but I did go later in the day - 6pm, to be fair); 70 Wednesday 6am; 72 Thursday 6:30 am; and then Friday I ran my long run early.  15 miles at 7pm and it was 90 degrees.  Never doing that again!

All of my runs were over a 10 minute pace.  The 15 miler was a 11 pace.  But it needed to be and I'm actually pretty glad I took some walking breaks because that's what my body was telling me to do.

Monday I ran a little later in the day because my long run from the previous week had been so late that I didn't want to go again in the morning.  Also I didn't want to wait until Tuesday knowing I had a long one Wednesday.  And it was hot, but really not too bad.

Wednesday ran with two other people and it went well.  Then they told me they were thinking of doing their long run Friday night.  I thought about this possibility.

Thursday did a 4 miler, early in the morning and went average... 10 ish pace, warm weather for 6:30am

Friday was the hardest run I've ever done in my life (thus, the title of this entry).  I had made up my mind that I'd do my long run Friday.  I'm not really an evening runner but a few people had agreed to meet up and I thought I'd join them for a change and sleeping in Saturday.  My pace overall didn't end up fast but it was really on target for the conditions when I look at it now (11:20).  At the time I was really disappointed that I felt so sluggish but it was actually an ok pace. I'm starting to realize that I need to back off pace quite a bit and I've been more successful at working on that (maybe thanks to the temperatures and humidity.

But nothing prepared me for this . The first 5 miles were brutal.  90 degrees, sun was still out.  I actually thought of giving up, even this early.  Giving up usually doesn't enter my mind this soon.  I typically stay pretty positive and try to complete the miles I have scheduled.  That's how I knew this might be trouble.  The other thing was I forgot my phone, which I never do.  It completely throws me off to not have background music.  So I'm facing one of the longest runs I've ever done (my record is 16 miles) with no music, extreme heat and humidity.

But I had committed and pushed through.  A friend of ours was joining us for 10 of the 15 miles.  We got to her car and she was kind enough to get us water, gatorade, fuel... seeing her car was like an oasis in the desert.  So we took a break and then continued.  I started to feel on and off like I was going to throw up.  Realized I needed to monitor for heat illness symptoms.  Decided to cut some of the running into intervals and throw some walking in there when I needed it.  One of my friends hung back with me and was encouraging.  There was a grocery store/gas station coming up.  She told me if we just made it there, we could rest.  I was having a lot of negative thoughts at that time but she turned on music on her phone and I tried to not let the thoughts take over.

Made it, rested, drank some smart water. Another friend was kind enough to bring cash and got us all water.  I hadn't thought we might stop somewhere and hadn't figured this in.  But I'm glad we did.  Really love my running friends... couldn't have done it without them.  The last 6 miles was running up a dark road (put on my headlight) and taking walking breaks when necessary.  My friends told me if I fell behind where they'd be headed next and the path was pretty much straight so it worked out.  Once I got to about 13 miles I figured I had it.  The main thing that bothered me at the end was I felt like I was holding others back and I didn't want to do that.  I just needed to take the walking breaks.  Without music, my thoughts really varied.  There were moments of negative thoughts, moments of random thoughts and then some positive ones (really more about being finished or getting to the next rest break, dreaming of what I might eat later).  On the way back, stopped at one of the runner's houses for some water/ice around mile 11.  Enjoyed the breaks when they came.

And eventually we finished.  But I don't think I'll do that again if it's that hot/humid.  It was certainly an adventure.  So glad all of us were there for each other.  And that is why I prefer to run with a group for long runs.  It makes a huge difference!

Next week... longer runs, continued build up of mileage... Week 9... 6/7/4/17 ... 34 miles total