Long Run!

Ok, as per my last post, I realized I needed to get a few of these in, so I got out the door early on Saturday morning to see what ground I could cover in 2 hours (before a 9 a.m. ballet class for Thing 2).  It was colder than I’d thought when I shot out the door at 6:30.  I definitely under-dressed my hands as my dollar-store gloves didn’t cut it and I had to pull my jacket sleeves over my hands as best I could for most of the run.  Regardless, I tried to run what I thought was my regular pace, but I felt sort of numb for the entire second half and had a warped sense of how fast or slow I was going.  I had planned on doing my last 3 or 4 miles on the treadmill at my gym which is about a mile (or more like a K) from my house.  All I was thinking for the last few miles was “just get to the gym to warm up”.  My hands and feet were numb and my face was frozen.   Once at the gym I did 3 miles on the treadmill and didn’t event take off my tights or long sleeve shirt as I tried to warm up!  I made it back in the door with JUST enough time to shower and turn it around to get to the ballet class.  My running time:

Definitely a PB for the past few years in terms of time on my feet.   I g-mapped my route and discovered that with my 3 mile treadmill run I totaled 18 miles.  That’s an average of 7:03 min/miles.  Not bad, I guess.  That exact run would give me a 2:11 time at Around The Bay.  I want 2:00 (or preferably 1:59).  Work to do, but I guess I’m putting it in.  I have to think that a few more degrees would have netted me a few more minutes – no??

What did I do after my monster run?  My day entailed the said ballet class, a kid’s dentist appointment, a birthday party, grocery shopping, baking banana bread, a few loads of laundry, dinner prep, feeding and clean-up, kids’ bath and putting them to bed.  You BET I deserved my glass of wine tonight.

It was gone before I thought to document it.  Here’s my banana bread though.  It has chocolate chips in it 🙂

I enjoy long runs generally, but I enjoy them more when I’m not freezing and when I can kind of lie down for a bit afterwards.  Anyway, it felt good and I’m going to try for a 20 miler before the marathon.  Yikes!  Come ON weather…!!!!