Twelve Miles!

Eleven Miles
Ten Miles

I've included the links to my previous double digits runs.  But I have to say that today's was the BEST!  After a bit of a downer start to the morning (that really only got me down for a short time), I decided to head out and pound the pavement for 12 miles.  I knew that the weather wasn't going to improve, and at that moment it wasn't actively raining so it seemed like a good time to start.

I headed the back way to Abbotsford, like I do frequently on my long runs because it gives me a good up and down hill (up over the highway) at the start of the run.  The wind was kinda gusty but I tried to just power through.  It had rained for most of the night, so my shoes, socks and feet got wet within the first mile and I have to admit that running with wet feet isn't the most enjoyable feeling.  I had no plans to push myself in the speed department.  My longs runs are all about building endurance.  I'll do my speedwork another time.
Here are some of the stats....

Mile 1:  10:31
Mile 2:  10:48
Mile 3:  10:39
Mile 4:  9:47 !!
Mile 5:  10:02
Mile 6:  10:20
Mile 7:  10:41
Mile 8:  10:27
Mile 9:  10:02
Mile 10:  10:17
Mile 11:  10:13
Mile 12:  9:51  !!!

There was some decent rain around miles 7-9 that made me question my sanity.  And I think every driver that passed me must have thought I had a screw loose to be running in that weather.

Just before mile 8, I had a Power Gel.

I had never had one of these before, but I picked some up last night for my long runs.  Honestly, the flavor wasn't as bad as I was anticipating.  It was just a little too sweet, though.  I felt like I needed a lot of water afterwards to kinda rinse my mouth out.  But I wanted to conserve my water because I still had 4 miles left.  I guess I will continue to use them.  They are really convenient.  I will have to see if I can find any flavors other than the Strawberry Banana.

One thing I love about my trusty Garmin is that I can see trends in my running.  I can look over previous runs and see how I was able to tackle those distances as compared with what I ran today.  For example:

March 2nd--8 miles--average pace: 10:08/mi.  Max speed: 7.8 mph
March 9th--9 miles--average pace:  10:45/mi.  Max speed:  7.4 mph
March 30th--10 miles--average pace:  10:29/mi. Max speed 7.1 mph

I see this and I get discouraged because my pace and speed are not going in the direction that I want them to go.  But, then I can look at things like elevation and maybe that can help me determine what route I was taking.  I can even look at the GPS and see exactly what route I took.  I also have to keep in mind that the weather has a huge impact on how I perform; as does what type of fuel I've eaten.

April 6th--11 miles--average pace:  10:16/mi. Max speed 7.1 mph
April 13th--12 miles--average pace:  10:18/mi Max speed: 8.1 mph

I can't wait to see what 13 miles will bring.  :-)