For a second there I almost checked the "race report" box. Today was a hard run. Rather than go super long, I planned to do 16-17 miles, and race pace on the way back if I felt good. You see, I signed up for the marathon yesterday and need to start getting ready for it. But I was worried about my foot as well.
I went out on Como ave, and at the bottom of the windy hill I turned left and ran past McCarrons lake area. 6:02 pace on the way out. I wasn't running easy, but did feel pretty comfortable. I was also very sweaty by then- it was 65 degrees or so when I left, but somehow 77 degrees when I got back, and very humid. I turned around and started pushing it pretty hard, hoping I was going very fast, because the idea of holding the pace I was going at for 26 miles seemed impossible. As I got closer to home, I realized it was going to be "close" (in terms of meeting my goal or not) so I kept running hard even though I was very tired and finished just under 5:30 pace for the way back. I took a couple of stops at lights and stuff but overall they weren't long enough I think to be a help. The course isn't easy, but I don't imagine it is too much harder than the race will be either, other than the sharp turns I was doing maybe. I'm grateful my foot didn't hurt. At the end I felt super overheated and my stomach was churning. I'm hoping in the race that cooler weather will be a huge help, and that other factors will make me capable of holding that pace for much longer. 5:47 pace overall.
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