Woo hoo one more long run down! Only two 20s to go. I was going to run an 18 mile race today but the girl I was carpooling with got sick. So I stayed home and ran (at Bradley's) on my own, figuring it would save time and money. I usually say a good long run is an uneventful one. While this one was not so uneventful, it still went pretty well running-wise. Long story short, at mile 6 I took a bottle of water out of my fuel belt and realized "surprise... soap!" I had soaked them in soapy water over night (I hadn't used them since last year so they were musty) and I must not have rinsed them out well enough. The bouncing associated with my running turned my water into soap suds. I had no idea what to do. Do I run back to my car and only run 12 miles? The thought of attempting the long run again in a few days did not sound fun, so I just kept going. At least I had soapy water to wash my hands with after I used the woods as a restroom. In a sense it motivated me to run harder, just to get back to my car and get home for some water. My legs felt pretty good the whole time, I was able to pick up the pace along the way and dropped a couple sub 8s in the second half. The problems came from the toes on my left foot (awkward toenail cut perhaps?) and my stomach. Both made me stop a few seconds several times during the run. My stomach really started cramping at the end... maybe dehydration? But my legs felt as good, if not better, than I had hoped. I was waiting to reserve my hotel room until I got this run over with and was sure I was up to a marathon. But I think I will go ahead and book it! What a relief. | 