I met Devra at my house to get my long run in. Devra did 12 with me, and then I ran the last six on my own. It's so nice to have company on long runs. I still have a tough time wrapping my mind around long runs, but I know I need to get used to it. Having a partner makes it go so much faster.
We ran out on the river trail again. I have avoided the north part of the trail because of all the flooding. I definitely didn't want to run out there if it was still flooded. Wading through water that has been stagnating all summer didn't sound pleasant. We decided to give it a try anyway. Happily, the flooding is gone. That is my favorite part of the trail, and it is nice to be able to run on it again.
The first mile of the run didn't bode well for the rest of the run. It takes my foot a while to warm up, so we were 7:50 through the first mile. I thought it was going to be an extremely long run at that rate. But, then we got rolling. At 12, we were at 1:23, and I finished the run at 2:04:03. The pace definitely picked up. The middle six miles seemed the most difficult. That must be mental. The last six, I was just focused on finishing.
So, I am on my way to 20 milers. All you marathoners out there, do you think it is beneficial to go longer, like 22-24 miles, or is 20 sufficient? | 