Man was it cold Saturday. At the start of my run it was about 28 degrees with a 10MPH wind. Knowing it would be a long run in the cold, I woke up early to eat, warm up, and stretch. Before I hit the road I had a Clif Bar, 20 oz of Gatorade, and some water. I also took 4 Gu's with me on the run and my plan was to have 1 Gu every 4.5 miles, then the last one at 16 for the home stretch. That formula seems to work for me on long runs more that 12 miles. I was layered perfectly as I did not feel the cold until near the end. I believe that was due to the sweat on my clothes and the increase in head wind coming down the home stretch.
My goal was to run 18 miles in under 2:15 and I accomplished that goal. I finished in just under 2:12. I felt real good during the run. I ate and drank as planned and had no fuzziness or "bonking". Physically I felt strong and fit. I think the long runs are more a test of mental fitness that physical fitness. I understand that part of the training and realize how important it is. Running for 3 hours at significant effort is a test of mental focus if you have trained appropriately.
During the Marine Corp Marathon you hit a long stretch just past halfway with not much crowd support, so mental toughness comes in handy there. In Boston, I think Heartbreak Hill is more a mental effort than physical. Don't get me wrong, the hill is hard as hell, but it comes at 20-21 mile mark when you are mentally starting to fizzle out.
Sunday is a much needed day of rest and family time. We have to attend Emma's cheerleading competition for 7-8 year old girls. The rest of the day is devoted to the christmas tree and a birthday celebration for my newphew Matthew. His favorite "Uncle Billy" bought him tickets to his first Big 5 Basketball game at the famed Palestra for Wednesday night 12/8. We are sitting in the student section for the Penn vs Villanova game, so I know he will eat that up!
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