12er

12 miles today. I'm not sure why 12 seems so much harder than the 10 a couple weeks ago, but it did. Here's a summary of how it went:

Miles 0-2: Feelin' good. No traffic on the street I run on and a decent pace. I stop at mile 2, turn off the GPS, stretch & drink water.

Miles 2-4: Still good, I pass 4 other runners and 1 walker. Everyone waves, I'm guessing because we're all still in a good mood and don't want to die yet.

Miles 4-5: Another short break at 4. Part of this leg is uphill on the side of a busy road. I stopped for a few seconds a couple times, but the run is still going well.

Mile 5 (up to 6, the halfway point): Who the heck knew Libertyville was so hilly? I've driven the damn road a zillion times, why did I never notice? Uphill sucks. I forget to turn the GPS on again at one point, but I didn't go too far before I figured that out, so whatever. And, I realize the OTHER side of the street is shadier. I cross. I have to run PAST the gas station to get to 6 miles, then come back before I can stop for a bit. The mileage when I stop is 6.13. Oh, and I have a blister. Yipee. However, 6.13 miles in 1 hr, 8 minutes.

I hang out at the gas station - restroom break, refill the water bottle & buy bandaids. I sit outside for awhile, take a GU and rebandage my blister. For those of you who aren't familiar with GU, it's a small packet of just that, goo..sort of a honey consistency. You rip off the top of the package and suck it out & down with water. It comes in various flavors, but I like vanilla and chocolate. The fruity ones make me gag. It gives you energy for the long haul.

Miles 6 - 7.5: Not so bad since the hell hills are on the way out, the way back isn't so horrible. I stop around 7.5 to toss the water bottle, and will defer to the Gatorade in my hydration belt for the rest of the run. I should note, I hate running while holding the damn water bottle, but when it's warm, it's nice to have it to dump over my head.

Miles 7.5 - 9.56: Mostly downhill, but I'm tired and my legs are getting heavy. I stop at mile 9 and figure I'll walk for 1/2 mile. Normally, when I stop running, I turn off the GPS. I kept it on this time, so I know how far I'm walking. I actually stop running at mile 9.06, and figure I'll walk until 9.56. When the GPS hits 9.56, I start running again.

Miles 9.56 - 10: Yes, not quite a half mile, but I stopped at 10 because the next 2 are the final stretch. I stretch my legs a bit and keep going.

Miles 10 - 11: I take a detour through a neighborhood. I do this because if I can tack on a half mile or so of flat running through said neighborhood, I can (hopefully) finish before the damn hill at the very end. I am also hoping maybe I can find a sprinkler to wet my hat again. Not so. Doesn't anyone water their lawn or wash their cars on a lovely Sunday morning? Isn't this suburbia? I walk for maybe .3 of this mile, but leave the GPS on.

The last mile felt good and horrible at the same time. I walked again for maybe .3 of that mile and that was up the hill. The good news is I finished before my starting point, so I was able to walk for a bit. Total running time, 2 hrs, 20 minutes. Yahoo!

I got home & was tired and hungry, but felt good and was thrilled that the 12 miles were behind me. The GPS I wear on my wrist keeps up to 2 yrs of data. Last years long runs were a good 1.5 - 2.4 minutes per mile slower. I'm all about not getting caught up in the numbers, but I am also happy to see I've made progress! So, yah for me!