Running in a fog.

I woke up really early today because I wanted to miss the heat for my 16 mile run.  But I looked outside and it was really foggy and dark.  I also looked at the weather and it wasn't gonna be that hot today so I decided to wait until it was light outside to start my run.  I left the house at about 8am and this is what it looked like on my street.

I could tell right away that it was gonna be a good run.  It was nice and cool and breezy.  I was feeling good and was determined to run my best even though this was supposed to be a slow and easy long training run.  I wasn't gonna push it but I wasn't gonna be lazy either.  And no rest breaks!  The fog lifted at about mile 2.  And at mile 3 I passed a couple that was biking.  As the lady rode by me, she said something to me and pointed in the direction they had just come from.  My iPod was on and I couldn't hear her and my lipreading skills suck so Lord only knows what she said.  I just smiled and nodded and said thank you.  :P  I think it must have been something about the dark sky over the other way.  Who knows.  But when I got a little further down the road, I saw this.

Looked pretty ominous but never produced any real rain.  Just a few sprinkles which felt nice.  At mile 8 (my half-way point), I drank a 5-Hour Energy.  I'm testing out some things to see what works for the race.

I've taken this before and it gave me a little boost.  But today, it was different.  It did give me a boost but it also helped me focus.  Instead of a million things going on in my mind, all I saw was the road.  Gave me some clarity and was actually really cool!  The second half of my run went extremely well and I had a nice negative split.  I happened to glance at my watch when I was at 13.1 (half marathon) and I ran that in 2:05.  Not too shabby for not racing it!  And when I stopped at mile 16, I had to take a picture of my watch because I was so happy with the run.

I've been looking for a Corona bottle for 3 weeks now for my mom.  I looked again today for 16 miles!  Saw a million beer bottles and even a Dos Equis, but no Corona.  But as luck would have it, I found one right at mile 16 after I was done running.  So here ya go Mom.  This one's for you!  (Even though I know you won't look at this for a week since you're in Vegas!)

I think one of the main reasons today's run was so good is because the weather was cool.  The heat just zaps me!  The temperature today actually went down a little during my run.  That hasn't happened in a while.  And I know it was even cooler during parts of the run when it felt like it was gonna storm.  These are the start and end temperatures.

And I'll save the best for last (for me anyway) ... the stats!!!  My training plan calls for my long Sunday runs to be between a 9:15 - 10:30 pace.  Check it out ... my average was a 9:15 and I really wasn't trying or thinking about pace.  Very, very, VERY happy!!  And I really love that I had enough left at the end to run the last 3 miles fairly fast.  :D  :D  :D

Overall, this one of the best long runs I have ever had.  Just felt incredibly good the whole run.  The only complaint I had at all is that I got hungry at about mile 12.  Should have packed a little snack or eaten a bigger breakfast.  But other than that, nothing!  No blisters, no leg pain, no lightheadedness (is that a word?), no chaffing, no issues at all!  Today was a huge confidence boost cause I actually believed today that I could run 26.2 miles at or below an 8:45 pace!

Tomorrow is my rest day so I'll post my weekly stats.