Unable to run long this weekend due to my involvement in Sunday’s Virginia Duathlon, so decided to fit one in after work today instead. Turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far (a balmy 76°F) which was great for the kids on Spring Break but probably not ideal conditions for a long run.
From my house to the Oceanfront is just about 10 miles, so I planned on an and out-and-back and made sure I carried a few dollar bills for a halfway drink stop. The tailwind on the way out felt good and I made sure I held back knowing the wind would be against on my return. The 10 miles to the Oceanfront were quite uneventful and I was amazed how many people were out riding their bikes, jogging, walking, rollerblading etc.
I stopped at halfway to buy a drink and bumped into a running friend who asked where I was parked – I guess he was surprised how far from home I was! We chatted for a few minutes before he continued his four miler and I turned into the wind to run the remaining 10 miles.
I picked up the pace a little on the return journey, more to battle the wind than anything else, and after a slightly off patch with 5 miles to go was able to finish quite strongly.
I finished the 20 miles in 2:25:38 (7:17 per mile pace) and walked the remaining quarter mile to my house as part of a cool down. All in all, it felt pretty good for a long run. However, I think the temperature took it’s toll, as I felt really tired after a soak in the bath and something to eat. Good excuse for an early night….
Details of the run are as follows. If you’re wondering, the discrepancy between total time and moving time is due to the several minutes I stopped to chat with my friend and buy a drink. Actually, now that I look at the splits, it was quite an even paced run. Not bad at all and now I can concentrate on my two 5k runs at the duathlon on Sunday.