6/21-22/14. pace run, 10K. Long Run, 11 miles

6/21/14. Saturday.  Hal called for a 6 mile pace run (desired long distance race pace).  ran practically naked - shoes, sock, 2" shorts (plus ipod and GPS watch).  felt free and easy.  my goal was to keep it to 8 min miles (6 miles in 48 minutes).  My loop was a little long, so i ended up running 10K.  I hit 6 miles in 46:30, then closed out the 10K (6.22 miles) in exactly 48:00.  avg moving pace of 7:43 min/mile - i felt like I ran this pretty hard.  I always start my runs with a steep uphill.  it winds me a little, slows me down, and stabilizes my early pace (slow).  then i have to play a little catch-up over the rest of the run to get my average pace down to what I want..  but i was glad to be able to maintain my desired pace for the average.  after the run, i did an hour of yoga over at the gym.  it helps me recovery faster, and its cool my wife does this at our gym.

6/22/14. Sunday.  11 mile Long Run, the longest I have run for well over a year.  I figured this was as a good a time as any to start re-conditioning myself to run carrying gear and hydration, etc.  So I broke out my Nathan HPL hydration pack, loaded it with 1.75 liters of water.  my plan was to maintain 9 min/mile.  I wanted to refuel every 30 minutes.  So I carried (2) Gu Roctaine and a (2) 1G L-Glutamine capsules.  I also took 5G of L-Glutamine about 20 minutes prior to running.  refueling every 30 minutes went fine - its been a few years since my last gel, and my stomach compained a bit.  about 3-5 minutes after each Gu, I got a little nauseous, but it was manageable.  drinking while running is a skill.  its like you have a choice to either breathe or drink.  so frequent small sips from the bite valve are about all i can handle.  i forgot what it was like to run bearing gear - i felt like i was headed out on safari.  ipod/headphones.  sunglasses. Nathan pack with 1.75 liters water. (2) Gu Roctaines. (2) 1G L-Glutamine caps. GPS watch. Runner's ID. I felt burdened, but i still knocked out 11 in 1:36:31 (avg moving pace 8:46 min/mile).  so i stayed on track with my goals.

all in all, it was a good weekend.