Return to Long Runs [Entered 8/7/2005]

This morning, on a surprisingly cool morning (maybe 73 degrees?) and overcast, we started out at 5:45 am for a medium long run. For the marathoners, this was intended to be more or less a recovery run, with the last 3 miles at some sort of accelerated pace, and the first 11 nice and relaxed. Per Gilbert's instruction, I joined in for the fun, with the option to bail out for a 12 mile day if I didn't feel up to the full 14. The route was different today, with an additional piece out Riverside and including a golf course and the park just east of the Longhorn Dam. It's a softball park plus some new trails.

At any rate, I started out with David and Susan, but soon eased up to run with Jan and Sean when I noticed that they weren't going out at a crazy early pace. Volel caught up with us at about the one mile mark, and we made a happy band of four for most of the rest of the morning. It was nice to chat with them all and get caught up on Gazelles gossip and other stuff as we clicked off the early miles. We more or less picked up the pace a little bit on every mile, but it felt okay to me. The cooler weather was truly a gift, and we enjoyed it.

First 4.5 miles to Gilbert's truck and the Powerade stop were nice, 9:42, 9:16, 9:19, 9:14, and a half mile at 9:05 pace for an average of 9:21 for the early miles. Just right in my book, but slower than Jan and Sean have grown accustomed to, I think. We checked in briefly with Gilbert, and after 2 minutes of water stopping, we were off again.

The new section is a big change, but it was relaxing to run on those wide trails virtually alone. Jan and Sean kicked it going up the Longhorn Dam, but Volel and I caught back up with them on the other side. The second water stop, behind Holly power plant, was brief since the water fountain there was broken (1:41), and we all took a GU there. Those 2.75 miles were at 8:50, 8:47, and .7 at 8:20. The pace was intensifying, but I still felt good enough. I could tell that it's been a while since I went long, though.

Since there wasn't water there, we stopped in just .4 miles at the softball fields so that Sean and Jan could get water (1:00 stop), and then we were good to go. That .4 miles was at 8:55 pace. I hung with them for the next couple of miles, and then I slowly started falling back just a bit, ending up maybe 50 yards behind them by the Pfluger bridge. Those miles were at 8:50 and 8:21, and then I caught up with Volel, Sean and Jan at that bridge, where they were getting a last drink of water. I just continued on and crossed over Town Lake at that point, since I was cutting the run short to 12 miles. My next mile was a sprightly 8:21, and then .3 miles to the zero mile marker at 8:24 pace. After that, I kept on going and added an Auditorium Shores loop to boost the mileage up and clocked that .9 miles at 8:19 pace for a solid finish.

Overall, it was 11.8 miles, 8:53 overall pace for the actual running bits. I'll take that as a good return to the longer stuff, and I was happy with the fact that I picked up the pace consistently throughout the run. With the water stop time factored in, it was 9:17 pace. A good run either way.

While I waited for the marathoners to finish up their 14 miles, I went ahead and did my 5x100m striders on the grass there, and chatted with the troops as they made their way home. Gilbert gathered us up for the hopping feet deal, which really wiped out my calves, and then we did the fun balance drills and form work. After that, we made a big circle and had our long-form stretching extravaganza there at Auditorium Shores.

I had a great time getting back with the long running troops, and it was cool to fall right back into the routine. When Freescale training kicks off in a few weeks, I'll be ahead of the game, which is where I wanted to be. Schedule permitting, I hope to join the gang for the pace run on Monday, where I'll do just 7 miles instead of 10, going for an easy 2 miles and a paced 5 mile finish instead of their 2/8 longer version.