I had a hard yet very enjoyable run with Kevin, Wayne, and Larry this morning. We targeted 16 miles by running north on the canal road for 8 miles and then turning around and coming back. Larry and I both have Garmin 201 watches, but they almost never register the same distances. Everyone likes to go by his watch because it tends to register more distance than mine. For example, this morning his registered 16 miles, but mine only had us at about 15.4. I marked and measured the course on Google Earth after the run and it measured at 7.62 miles (times 2 is 15.24), closer to my distance than Larry's. It doesn't really matter. We had a long hard run that was enjoyable because of the beautiful weather and scenery, and good company. I averaged 8:29/mi overall by my watch. At about 9 miles into the run I stopped for a bio break and told the others to keep going. I averaged 7:26/mi while trying to catch up, which took me about one mile. I found out later that they were pushing the pace slightly trying to hold me off. I didn't mind; I enjoyed pushing hard. A couple of miles before the end of the run 4 young elite-looking runners (probably from BYU) passed us. Kevin and I picked it up and followed them for a bit (at probably a 6:15 to 6:45 pace) and then slowed a little. I averaged 7:00/mi for the last 1/2 mile, which included going up and down the big hill on Main, south of 2000 North in Orem. I really enjoyed the canal run. There are too many insects during the summer, but not now. I just wish it had water and restrooms like the Provo Canyon trail. I didn't carry water; I rarely do unless it is really hot. Fortunately the weather was cool, but I was still pretty thirsty when I got home. | 