Kenyan Way - Long Run

I only made it 14 of the 15 miles today.  Sure I could have eeked out that last mile, but I was so done.

I am just going to HAVE to slow it down in the early miles in this heat.  I started just past 5am and got 3.5 miles in before starting with the group.  It wasnt until I hit midway through mile 9 that I started struggling.  I have to point out that this was around Hermann Park, on that God awful surface...mentally I just think it sinks me.  I am a pavement runner through and through.  Anything else and my hamstrings take a beating.  I have no idea why.  And I have a hard time recovering once I do hit pavement again if its more than 2-3 miles on a gravel surface.

Anyway, at the next water stop I tried to quit.  Coach was there and just egged me on to make it to the next water stop.  Fine.  Made it there OK as I crossed over off of the Rice path and ran on the sidewalk on the other side of the street.  I pretty much packed it in at that point thinking there was no way I could make it 3.5 more miles back to base.  At that point I had 12 miles into me.  And I was OK with quitting.  He was trying to reach Elizabeth and I took off down Hazard and had another mile into it before she pulled up.  So there was 13.  That last mile was the worst.  11:01; but I walked a bit.  My shoes were so soaked through with sweat that you could actually hear the squishing and I was leaving little trail with each step.

She drove me back the 2 miles to base, and once I went to the bathroom, got some ice water I took off for another mile around base.  Mile 14 was 10:40.  Ugh. 

Somehow for the 14 miles I still ended up with an average pace of 10:28 but it was tough and I dont know quite how I managed it.  All I know is that up until that mile 9 I was sub 10:10's all the way.

I dont know what went wrong today...I guess one just has to remember that up til now, my long runs have been awesome.  They cant all be.  The heat and humidity (78/97) was brutal, but I drank PLENTY of fluids every 2 miles, took my SCaps and had 2 gels...and yet I still lost 3 lbs of water weight.  Just a bad day for me.

We'll try again for the full 15 miles next Saturday.