18 miles and feeling great

When it was all over, I felt like I could have kept going. It was better than I hoped for, and exactly what I needed after my sub-standard long runs over the past month (with the exception of some intestinal issues – more on that later).

Keith and I ran the Service Rd (Rick joined up for about 30 minutes) from Oak St down to Route 130 and back. Total time of the run was 2:41:35 (about an 8:53 pace), but our last five miles were done in ~8:30 – actually, the 17th mile was about 8:20. I never expected to move that well today. I would have been happy with 10:00 miles. I would have been happy just finishing without feeling exhausted. This run gave me the confidence that I’m been lacking. I’m looking forward to next Sunday’s 20-miler (the last one before the marathon). I’m also feeling good about the Hartford 1/2 Marathon scheduled for October 14.