It sounds like you got a great workout in. Pushing through when it's tough has to be worth something.

Happy juice for the legs sounds great. Let me know if you find it. Short of that, I'm wondering whether running hills (maybe you do that anyway - I don't know) will make your legs stronger. I just always hear that hills are strength training for runners.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary! The only magic elixir I know of is coffee. :)

Carolyn, thanks. You may be right about the hills. I've just started getting back on the trail above my house, which has plenty of hills. Hopefully I can do that run at least once a week. I've been running pretty flat miles all winter, my legs might be a little weak.

Snoqualmie - Thanks. Yes...coffee...maybe I should carry a thermos full of coffee on my runs from now on, or plan my running routes with multiple stops at coffee shops.

Congrats on the anniversary.

Maintaining carb status is paramount. Eating a decent meal the night before a long workout makes a huge difference in staying power. For anything over 90 minutes, I'll usually eat a banana or a piece of toast with jam about 30 minutes before. I've never crashed during a long workout that I've gone into fueled up.

I think it also helps to let the run come to you. Meaning, start out super slow and let your body warm-up on its own terms rather than running some predetermined pre-workout pace. Somedays it'll be real slow, other days not. The relative effort trumps the absolute pace when it comes to running the workout "correctly."

On that note, remember that when you add speedwork or more intense work in general, there MUST be a counter, ie, you'll have to run your recovery days slower than you were before.

Thanks for the good advice/information Phoenix. I definately pushed myself too hard into the wind and I think that got me in the end. I also need to make my recovery days easier.