What a great Saturday Long Run! Since I have the Miami half-marathon next Sunday, I joined the modified Saturday Long Run group and only ran 9 miles vs the regular group that ran 11 miles. It was fun to run with a different group of folks and get to know them.
The bonus was that the coach that is charge of the modified run is also going to be running the race in Miami. I took the time to ask her advice about the race, as well as what goal pace I should aim for. She is a bit faster than I am and is aiming to try and break a 10 minute mile pace. She thinks that I should go for that too, but I think that may be a bit aggressive. Maybe I'll try and hang with her for awhile and see how it goes. I think it is more realistic to aim for a 10.5 minute mile pace. My big issue is to focus on going out strong in the beginning since I have a tendency to hold back and then surging at the end.
It was a beautiful day in DC --- highs in the 40's and a bright sunny day. We headed out of Adams Morgan and instead of staying in Rock Creek Park, we ran the monuments....which really is one of my favorite routes. There is nothing better than seeing all the monument and tourists. It is such a high to run by the White House, the U.S. Treasury, a bunch of the museums, hit the Mall and then circle the Lincoln Memorial. It's a great way to pass the time.
The weather was so good, many runners were out taking advantage of the pleasant temperature. There was a moment on one of the paths that a very large wave of elite level guys passed me. I swear that there must have been a height requirement for these guys. They were all 6 ft or taller. You could almost feel them zooming past you.
I had a great run. This group runs a bit slower than I'm used to so I pulled it back for about 3/4 of the run. Once we hit the last 2.5 miles, I kicked it up and headed for the finish. The Calvert Hill was still a beast, but I pushed myself to put my head down and just keep going. Man...hitting that hill at mile 8 of a 9 mile run is a spirit killer. Once you kick it's ass, you do feel a sense of accomplishment. It's funny to see every other runner and biker struggling to get to the top. At least you are surrounded by folks who are all cursing the same thing.
The soreness from earlier in the week has improved and didn't nag me throughout the race. Of course, the klutz in me got the best of me when I got home. I somehow stepped off a curb in an odd way and bruised the side of my foot. Geez, I just can't catch a break. Hopefully it won't be an issue on race day. Too bad I can't wear sneakers to work.
Wow...can't believe in a few weeks I will be Miami. This time next week I will have already crossed the finish line. It was really cool that after our run, the runners in my group all wished me good luck in Miami. It was very sweet. I really don't want to let myself and them down. 13.1 miles...here I come!
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