20 Miles of Pleasure

That's right. 20 miles in the books on the first of the longest training runs. As I mentioned before, the 20 milers are pretty brutal. It's kind of like running a marathon without the adrenaline, the support, the other runners around, the water and Gatorade every couple miles...so I guess it's like a marathon without the perks - if there is such a thing.

I came in at 2:49:46 or an 8:29 pace. That's only a few seconds off of the goal pace of 8:25. I got out early enough to at least minimize the heat. It was still a little warm, but there was a breeze from time to time. One tough part of the long run along the lakefront is the stretch that goes from Fullerton south. There's little or no shade during the stretch until you get down near Navy Pier. All-in-all, it was a pretty successful 20 miler and I am happy to get the first one over with.

Buster Poindexter? Actually, Hot Hot Heat was a reference to the band of the same name, not Buster's wonderful 80's hit. Here's a video of theirs:



Not the greatest band or song ever. The video isn't bad though.
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Here's this week's schedule:
Tuesday : 9 Miles @ 8:25
Wednesday : 9 Miles @ 8:25
Friday: 9 Miles w/7 mi @ 7:17
Sunday: 17 Miles @ 8:25 with a Fast Finish - Fast Finish is running the last 3-5 miles @ an 8:00 pace