Sunday Long Run

This morning I did the first of four twenty-milers in preparation for Boston, and it was a good one. I did the West Unity Death run, but I ended at Monadnock Park and not at my house. The plan was to run with Joel for the first 13 miles at about 8:00 pace, then accelerate from there. Joel did real well holding pace, but fell off the mark around 7 miles. From there I steadily increased my own pace for the next several miles. From mile 6 to mile 13 is steady rolling hills the whole way and climbs about 1,500 feet. I love this portion of the route. Once I got to mile 12 I started dealing with some very significant headwinds. Not only were the winds strong but it was super cold too. By the time I got to 16 miles all the hard running was over. I got into a really nice rythym at just over 7:00 mpm and cruised until the final mile which I ran in 6:45. I am very pleased with the workout. My body held up really well and I am less sore than I expected. If I feel good tomorrow I will do an easy 4 miles on the treadmill. If I have pain in my knee than I will take the day off.