It’s official: I have a new PDR (personal distance record) for running: 14 miles! 
This is the first time during marathon training (I’m doing Richmond in November as my first full) that I’ve made it over the half marathon distance! So exciting. It was a great run this morning, too.
Remember last week’s total strugglefest of 13 miles? In comparison, this week’s long run was a breeze. We normally do our long runs on Thursday but had to move it to this morning and I was glad we did! A stunningly gorgeous and cool morning + a pretty route made all the difference for me and my training buddy Kathleen.
Insane views, right?! Kathleen and I started bright and early at 5:45 a.m. and were rewarded for our early start with this.
Totally worth the early alarm clock!
I couldn’t believe the weather this morning, either. It was actually COOL out! And practically no humidity! Oh, what a difference that made. It felt like October, not August! And I’d forgotten how much easier (not easy, but easier) running is when it’s not 4,000 degrees outside. Anyone else get out in the cool weather this a.m.?
Kathleen and I did a simple out and back along the beautiful Mt. Vernon trail, my old favorite. As usual, we chatted away the whole time. The miles flew by!
We stopped twice to eat our fuel – a mocha Hammer Gel was on the menu for me! (And before the run, I had my standard piece of Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread with almond butter + jam.)
Before we knew it we were making our way back towards Arlington.
We conquered the mile long hill of death from Rosslyn up to Courthouse with no problem this week – another nice change from last week!
I also wanted to give some love to these new socks that I received as part of my Brooks Run Happy Ambassadorship – they are AWESOME. New favorites! I wore one of the two pairs this morning and they felt fabulous. Might need to pick up some more – it’s hard to find perfect running socks that can handle longer distances without chafing!
Kathleen and I finished out the run in 2:08:17 for an average pace of 9:09 minute miles. Great pace for such a long run!
Unfortunately I don’t have our splits per mile this time because I was using a friend’s watch and she didn’t have that feature activated. Why was I using a friend’s watch? Well, I have some sad news: after 5 sweaty years together, my beloved Garmin GPS Watch has officially died. Sniff, sniff. RIP, Garmin. I’ll miss you.
Remember how the glue holding it together loosened and I had it held together with a hair tie for the last few weeks? Well, I finally tried to superglue it back together earlier this week… and now it won’t turn on. Epic fail. It’s weird, because it still works when it’s attached to the charger, but not otherwise. Strange! I’m debating what to do now. Maybe just get the same one? Or try something new? I wish it would just magically start working again! Have any of you tried the newer Garmin models? Thoughts?
I’ll leave you all with another running related question: at what distance does it make sense to start torturing myself with ice baths following a run?
A New Running PDR: 14 Miles! originally appeared on fANNEtastic food on August 14, 2013.
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