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| Great group to run with! |
Even though I was alone, time seemed to fly by on the Plainfield Recreational Trail. I was to the turnaround before I knew it. Shortly before I got there, I passed Angie, Christina and Alison on their way back from their long segment. I had been wondering about that. I thought I would come across someone who was running early.
I went a bit past them to 2.5 miles on my watch before turning around. It took me awhile to catch up with them. I finally did after about .75 miles on the way back. I ran with Angie for a brief period and then left the three of them behind. I thought about slowing to their pace for awhile, but I was feeling really good.
The only issue was the humidity. Even though the temperature was low and it was cloudy, the humidity was still very high. I ran with lightweight shorts and no shirt and was still sweating like crazy. My legs felt good though. I ran this first part with my old shoes.
Shortly after catching the three girls, I came upon April (who was running early too). I chatted with her a bit before being on my way. It felt good to have some people to get in contact with in this back half, even if it wasn't for long.
I finished up with my watch reading 5.1 miles. Most of the main group was there in the parking lot, ready to run. I quickly toweled off as much as I could and drank some Gatorade. I also changed into my lighter minimal shoes. I swatted a small bee off of my leg. It kept following me around. That was annoying. I think it actually stung me through my compression calf sleeve because that pinched and felt a little sore.
I was happy to see Mertz and Flo in the parking lot when I got there to run with the main group. They are both fast and I wanted to run this second segment faster. I need to incorporate some quicker running into my workouts. I knew Flo would be there, but I wasn't sure about Mertz. He usually is, but he missed the last few weeks.
I started off with Mertz, Flo and Roger's son. After a short while, the other Chris joined us. He's a former college runner and fast too. The pace was definitely faster than I had been running alone. I was a little disappointed that we didn't go faster actually. Mertz can certainly go much quicker. I thought he would and I would just hang on as long as I could, which likely would only be a mile or two.
This just slightly faster pace might've actually been better for me. The only reason I wanted it to be faster was to get me running out of my comfort zone. That's not really the best thing to do on a long run though. A 7 min to 7:30 pace was much more reasonable and probably better for me in the end.
It was funny because I don't shut up when I'm running with Kelley. I talk and talk and talk anytime that I'm one on one with a person. In a group though, I'm generally very quiet (even when it is a group of runners). I made a couple comments, but barely said much. Part of that was that I was working somewhat hard. I just didn't have much to say either. It is odd because I know this little sub group fairly well. No one really said too much.
I just focused on the task at hand. After about 2 miles of running with them, I was starting to feel it a little. I kept telling myself that I had to get to the 3 mile mark and the turnaround point. That's how far both Mertz and Chris were going. I hung with them. Flo and Roger's son went out another mile.
I stayed with Mertz and Chris for another fast mile. At this point, I was 2 miles from the finish and 9 total miles into the run. I wasn't feeling terrible, but I was starting to lose it. I told them to just go on, I was slowing a bit. I could've probably held on for 2 more miles at their pace, but I didn't want to push it too much. This is the farthest I've run all year.
The final mile and a half alone was so long. I wasn't too far behind the other two, so they did help pull me along. It still felt like forever as my legs were dieing. I just focused on short distances, like the next quarter mile or half mile.
Before I knew it, I was within the final mile. That extra mile from my previous long run seemed to keep going and going. Even though I was in familiar territory with knowing my surroundings, it was still tough. The air was only getting more humid too. Thankfully, the last half mile is downhill. I knew I'd enjoy that. I opened up and little and cruised to the finish. I passed a lady right before I was done.
Since I beat most of the group back, I got out my camera and took plenty of pictures of everyone coming in. That was fun and I'll have to do that more. I was so soaked that my shorts looked like I had just jumped in the creek along the path. Maybe I should have.
Although the pace wasn't as quick as I thought it would be, it was still a challenging workout. The final 10 miles were at an 8:05 pace after an inaccurate reading on the first mile. I still feel like I have a lot more left. Maybe a race pace of 7 minute per mile is actually realistic in just under three months from now. I'm certainly going to try to PR at that half marathon. With a couple 17 and 18 mile runs under my belt by then, I should be very comfortable with the distance. Running 60 miles a week at peak week should help too.
My legs actually aren't as sore as I thought they'd be. I skipped going to breakfast because I thought they'd be worse. I have a birthday party to go to later on too, so I wanted to get home and relax first. I feel great. I'm just a bit tired from lack of sleep.
Tomorrow will be my one weekly day off. I'll be back at it on Monday. Maybe with some speed, maybe on some trails. I'm not quite sure. Either way, it should be a good start to another 35+ mile week. I'm feeling so great right now.
11 miles - 1:31:30 (8:19 pace) NOT ACCURATE, ran about .2 miles farther than that
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