Week 12: Saturday's Long Run

Gorgeous day which was a real blessing considering the weather report earlier in the week was calling for intermittent heavy rain and wind. Instead it couldn't have been a more beautiful early spring day. Temperatures in the low 50s with a light breeze and sunny. Had my normal coffee in the morning and then had a glass of Pre-Formance. Applied my latest acquisition, BioFreeze (mostly a menthol gel), stretched and headed out around 10:30 AM with the iPod set to shuffle and the FuelBelt loaded with Cytomax and two gels (Hammer Gel Espresso and Accel Gel Vanilla -- my two standards). Started off slowly up Jeb Stuart at around a 12:30 pace. Checking the Polar monitor saw that my pace was a little faster each mile. By Mile 4 was at a pace a few seconds under a 12:00 pace. First two miles of the run were tough and the last 2-3 were tough. The miles in between went by pretty easily.

Had a new route plotted out -- up Jeb Stuart, across to Beaverdam Bridge to a right on Leith. Cross Foxcroft onto Pot House Road. And then I made the mistake of turning left on Snake Hill Road. Ended up down at Foxcroft again instead of down in St. Louis by Banneker Elementary. Backtracked (adding about 2.75 miles to my route) on Snake Hill and down to St. Louis, crossed 611 and onto Hamlin Mill. Up through Unison on Unison Road to a right on Foxcroft, crossed 611 again and back to Mountville Road and Leith Lane. By this time I was at 17.1 miles and my right knee was giving me some issues, especially on the downhills. Walked back up Leith to Hibbs Bridge to Snickersville to Home. Overall pace for the 17.1 mile run was 11:57. I was very pleased.

The route was beautiful. Rolling hills, horses, nice houses. Lots of ups and downs, a few flats but not many! Always see lots of things I'd like to get pictures of. Probably could have used an extra gel. Was starving by the time I had walked a mile post run. Knee continued to give me some issues. Iced it once at home and took 600 mg of ibuprofen. By the time the ibuprofen had a chance to take effect I was feeling much better -- actually I think a little better than after my long run last week.