16.5 Miles

It was an absolutely beautiful day to be running. Thanks to Hurricane Earl, the hot and humid weather of the last few days were a distant memory.

I left the house at about 7:30am and ran across the Manhattan Bridge, through Chinatown, up the FDR Drive, into the Upper East Side, across to Central Park, down Fifth Avenue, and then into the park for the last 10K loop. By the time I got to Columbus Circle, my calves were threatening to seize up. I only managed 16.5, 1.5 shy of the 18 mile goal, but I'll take it. The last 1.5 wasn't possible because I pretty much tried to run 3x what I did at last week's long run, which was a gamble. My legs were lead, so I quit while I was ahead. Plus I ran out of water and Gu, and the planned 1.5 lead me out of the park and into Chelsea. I just called it a day and headed to the train station and headed home.

Wore new sneakers, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS. Not bad. It's not as much bottom cushioning as the Adidas Gigarides, but they are a lot lighter. It got the job done, and I like that it held the top of my foot snug. I also liked that I can feel the air flow in the toe box.

Even though I didn't pull in 18, I feel pretty confident right about now since I feel like I'm on track. Training wise, I've run probably a little less than what I would like, but my body feels strong and my legs feel good. I'd like to believe that all that core work from the P90X is actually helping out with the mechanics. If I keep it up, I may just be able to (don't laugh) sub 6. I have a stated goal of 5:55, but I keep visioning 5:45. We'll see.

I am also running with a LOT less than the last two training phases. Gone is the huge fanny pack that I used, and the water bottle, which was somewhat of a mental blanket. Chris got this little pouch for his runs, and I was able to fit in 4 Gu gels, a phone a key and several bills. I managed to run without water until I got to the FDR, where there were several water fountains along the way. I made it up to the 50s before heading into a store and grabbing a water bottle, and that lasted for the second half. I also carried the new ipod shuffle, and that played a great mix of music that pushed me. Every time I wanted to slow down, a great song would come on and propel me forward. I know a lot of purists would balk at the music thing, but it works for me.

At this point the one thing I feel like I need to work on is taking in the Gu earlier during the later part of the run, and not let myself feel the energy drain. I forgot to check at what point I started getting hungry, but I'm going to study the map and see if I can get Chris to make sure he has something for me at around that time. As slow as I am, I'm not going to count on the course having anything. Ooh I'm excited now!