Strongest Run On Record

This morning as I woke up after a refreshing and much needed 9 hours of sleep, I felt ready to run.  My quads were sore from Thursday nights kettlebell class, but I was looking forward to a nice, easy run.  I knew it would be tough because although it was 37 degrees outside, the wind was blowing strong with up to 40 mile an hour gusts.

When I got to our meet up at Potomac River Running Store the wind was still strong and not letting up, but 20 mins later as we started to walk down to the trailhead, well it was snowing.  My running buddy, Brooke and I were not expected that.  We were pretty excited as we started our run so we had to document it:

Definitely windy, but can you see the snow???

It was a tough beginning to our run.  We were cold, no hats, not many layers, and only she had gloves, but we wanted to get this 14 mile run done with.  Our plan was to keep it nice and easy, but strong.  We started running West toward Leesburg and the wind hit us every step, but we pushed on.  It took us a few miles to get into our run, running the first three miles at 10:03, 10:05, and 9:58.  The longer we ran, the stronger we got.  We had to remind each other that this was supposed to be an easy run, not a run that is pushing race pace.  As we ran, we talked about life and some personal things that really meant a lot.  She has not just become a running partner, but a good friend that I come to value and cherish, especially her advice and support during our long runs.  While we ran we began to reflect on our past runs and about how a few months ago we would have never imagined running this pace.  We were feeling great, the sun was starting to shine, but we still had the wind in our face!

When we got to out turnaround point at 7 miles we took a break and waited while our two other friends, Jeff and Russell, met up with us.  The four of us decided to run the last 7 miles together.  As we began our run back we wanted to the it easy so we decided that we needed to remind ourselves not to run too fast, even though we knew the wind would push us a bit.  We kept an even pace until we got to 11 miles.  At that point we all felt really strong and stopped reminding each other to slow down.  As we approached mile 12, I said, "I think I am going to slow down for the last 2."  Brooke turned to me and said,"I'm not going to let you, you can do this."  She was right, why did I need to slow down when I was feeling so great?  I continued to run at a pace that felt good, but not too fast for the last few miles.  During the last mile, there are 3 hills that I always dread, but with my 3 friends by my side they helped me push through and we finished strong.  I am so proud of all of us.  We all did an amazing job!

Directly after our run!

A few minutes later, back at the store...we rock!

We ran strong...here's the break down:

Mile 1 - 10:03

Mile 2 - 10:05

Mile 3 - 9:58

Mile 4 - 9:31

Mile 5 - 9:48

Mile 6 - 9:41

Mile 7 - 9:44

Mile 8 - 9:39

Mile 9 - 9:45

Mile 10 - 9:43

Mile 11 - 9:49

Mile 12 - 9:25

Mile 13 - 9:15

Mile 14 - 9:22

Time- 2:15:52

Average Pace - 9:40

As a reward and a much needed purchase, I bought a new pair of running shoes.  I love them!  They are the Asics Gel-Kayano 18.  They feel lighter and I'm looking forward to breaking them in over the next few weeks before the race.

My new running shoes!

After this run there are a few numbers to share:

33.5 = miles this week

106.3 = miles so far this month

210.45 = miles so far this year...I know I'll not only make my goal of a 1,000 miles this year, but I will be exceeding it!

What a great run!  I walked away from today feeling as though this is my strongest run to date.  I am looking forward to continuing my improvement!