14.55 mi, 2:01:23, 8:20 avg
Long run, Saturday morning later start than I should have but the weather was pretty decent so it's ok and probably good that I had some extra sleep.
Started out from Longleaf, running up the bike path along Starkey Blvd. Just under a mile into the run I saw a group of cyclists heading toward me, coming around a curve. A woman on a bike falls over to the side. I reach her just as a friend of hers is going to her and I start to ask her if she's ok. It sounded like she was snoring, not sure what happened. Her other friends are soon gathered around. They are asking her questions while someone is calling 911. She's able to answer her full name but still isn't getting up, in a few minutes I can hear sirens in the distance. Not needing to be one more bystander, I get going again on my run.
About 2 miles into the park I stop to refill my water bottle, but the cooler is mostly empty (if you rock it back and forth a few more drops come out). A woman and her dog also stop at the cooler, I tell her there's no water unless you rock it. Another woman rides by and calls out "Stellaaaa!". So, I ask which one was Stella. The woman is Stella and fortunately she's not offended about me mentioning that I have a dog named Stella.
I'm almost out 7 miles where I'd planned on turning around but I decide to try and go a little farther to the next water cooler, just past the power lines. There's two serious looking cyclists hanging out at the next one. No water there either. One of the guys offers me some of his water but I'm ok, can always get some from the faucet outside the bathrooms. Ask the guys how far they are riding, I'm expecting to hear some distance between 50 and 100 miles. Nope, these guys are riding 200 miles today. They started out down in St. Pete, came up Alt 19, over to this way and plan on riding up to Brooksville, looping around there and then heading back.
Head back from the water stop, back to Longleaf. Nothing else eventful or noteworthy occurred. I picked up the pace a bit and ran some miles in the 7:40's and last one at around 7:30. However, when I had about 4 miles left to go I slowed down a little bit, on purpose as this was supposed to be an "easy" run but had turned into a pace pushing run.
The pace was a little slower than last week, the run a little bit longer but it felt a lot harder. However this run did cap off a 55 mile week with two mid-week workouts.
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