ESB

I ran my first 20 miler yesterday and actually felt pretty good!  I made sure to start off slow after hitting the wall at mile 17 last weekend.  Also, to not get too pumped up early on, I went without music or pace updates until mile 10.  Rage Against the Machine is inspiring music for a 5k, but I needed a more zen approach for the 2.5 hours I was about to run.

I chose the Charles River trail which is almost exactly 20 miles from my door and back if you take it out west to Watertown and back around to the Museum of Science.

I finished in 2 hrs 33 mins for a 7:40 pace.  My training program set a goal of 7:48, so I was pumped to beat it after skipping the program's first 20 mile run.  I chose to ease into the higher mileage since my program assumes you have run marathons before.  I also hit my own personal goal of negative splits with a 7:42 1st half pace and a 7:38 2nd half pace.

Next weekend has me doing a 13-mile run which I feel like I can sprint after this workout!