Met Mark at Long Leaf and ran Aristida to Diane's house for a very much appreciated water/Gatorade stop. Got to the park at about 7 miles, grabbed a quick, short cup of coffee to warm up and then headed back out. It was probably the coldest day of the year (low 40's though it felt colder in the park). All water stations were dry so I picked a great day to run 20 miles without a water bottle. Mark and I left pavement at about mile 10 and ran off road for another 8 miles. I only fell once this time and that was because of an intentionally ignored lose shoe lace. I knew it was lose but it was so far down there I feared not being able to get back up if I stopped to tie it. I had a few moments to sit in the sand to think about that miscalculation. I pulled my dirty, sand filled, cotton gloves off, retied my shoes and got back up to finish the run. We kept most of the run at about an 8:50 pace but the last few miles took it down into the low 8's to high 7's (last mile was 7:28). Achilles felt weak and tender. Looked forward to the run ending and a chance to ice. We ended the morning with the gang at the Cuban Cafe with breakfast sandwiches and welcomed cups of hot coffee.Great day.
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