Today's Run - 2/19

I went down to UVA to run the C-Ville 10Miler Course to get out of the neighborhood for my long run this week. This was the longest run of the training program yet, and it was a challenge.   The temps have been increasing over the week and it was already in the high 30's when I left the house.  I wore shorts, a tech tee and running long sleeve shirt.  By mile 3 I was pretty warm so I wrapped my long sleeve shirt around my waist for the remaining miles.  The temperature overall was excellent with lots of sun. There was always strong wind gusts that seem to be in my face at every turn.  

I modified my route from the 10Miler course to get some variety. I ran a few miles at the UVA Park which is 1/2 Mile Loop around Field Hockey and Softball Fields.  I also ran about a mile on the UVA Track while some of the Ragged Mountain Racing Team pounded out some speed workouts.  It was nice to see all the runners out on campus and downtown.    There were a number of training groups out for the C-Ville 10Miler.   I am sorry that I will miss the C-Ville 10Miler race this year, it is my favorite local race with a challenging course and a good crowd.

I had forgotten how hard the poured concrete sidewalks are to run on.  I could tell that the sharp jarring of my foot strikes tired my legs as I got into the run.   The last 3 Miles were very difficult to complete especially with the gust head winds.   I noticed my knees and legs were more sore than usual as I recovered from the run.

I used GU gels at mile 7 and 14, which gave me a nice caffeine kick.  In looking back I think that I am waiting to long to use the GU which made miles 6-8 and 13-15 more difficult than they need to be.   I will see if using GU at mile 6, 12 and 18 next long run make a difference.

Overall the pace of this run was good.  I slowed down to ~10Min miles, but I ran much to quickly on the UVA track.   The hilly C-Ville 10Miler course was a challenge but overall I was happy with pace for a long slow run.