The Yard

Report:
Today's run was brought to you by the power of DailyMile. Specifically Karyl-Lynne T. , her friend Jenny, Biddi , and Michele S.  Without them, I likely would have struggled through a much shorter run. Instead I pulled 12 miles and felt pretty good at the end. I did break on cardinal rule but so far there seems to be no ill effects.

I stashed some water at the Mile 4 parking lot (along with some baby wipes and gels) then headed to the rendezvous point at Mile 0. Biddi arrived shortly after me and we chatted a bit waiting for Melli H. After a bit we decided she wouldn't be joining us so we headed out. As usual some people had to pee right away and some of people waited a bit. Scary part was I expected KL and Michele to be way behind us but I think they sandbagged a bit when they were talking about their pace. Why do I think they sandbagged? Because when I stopped to pee, I had to rush because they were right behind us!

Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect to leave them in the dust but man, they were hauling out there today. Jenny and Biddi kept a pretty solid gap on me the first 4 miles or so. They waited for me to catch up and refill my bottles before we took off again. They pulled away but not quite as fast as the first leg. At the turn-around we chilled, chatted, then decided to head back and catch up to KL and Michele and run with them back to the turn around point. Turns out they weren't that far behind us. Maybe a quarter mile. So we all posed for a picture (you're welcome - I zipped up my shirt) then headed back.

On the way back I was able to keep up with Biddi and Jenny and did a fair job of keeping their gap to a much smaller gap. Jenny took a spill around mile 7 or so but came out okay. Just a small scrape on her leg. Guess it really does look worse than it feels. Another pit stop at mile 8 and then we were headed back to the cars. The ladies put a nice gap on me as I stopped to take some pictures and that was it.


They left and I hung around until KL and Michele came in a few minutes later. In fact as Biddi was leaving the parking lot I could see them about a half mile or so down the trail. They say they walked the last two miles but they must have been sandbagging again. Or maybe they walk faster than I run (which is certainly possible).

Overall, I felt good. Fueling and hydration were nearly spot on. The company was great. Lots of chatting and lots of alone time.

Weather:
Temps started around 60F but warmed to about 70F. Mostly overcast eyes but some sun later in the run. Humidity started about 100% (not rain but seriously heavy condensation) but dropped a bit to maybe 60%.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was iced coffee, yogurt, and one cinnamon roll. During the run I had my hydration pack with 1.5 liters of plain water and drank maybe 200 mL. I also had a bottle of Hammer Perpeteum which I finished up around mile 10. And I had a bottle of Hammer Fizz which I refilled with more Fizz every 4 miles. Recovery was a bottle of beer (the one cardinal rule I broke, having a beer even though I didn't run a half marathon). I also had a bottle of Hammer Recoverite.

Aches and Pains:
Developed a side stitch around mile 9 or 10 which was odd. It passed after a quarter mile or so. Other than that, the only other issue I had was when I went to "flick" a stick off the trail and misjudged the distance and instead "kicked" it. Ouch.

Gear:
Ran in my Salomon hydration pack loaded to the gills. Even though I didn't drink all my water, I figure it'll be good training. No other special gear.

Codename - The Yard
Turns out, my run was just my warm up. I figured I could "bribe" my way to a relaxing afternoon of doing laundry by getting my wife a Cherry Coke but instead I ended up getting her a Cherry Coke then coming home to yard work. But it worked out. We got more flower beds cleaned up, more mulch spread out, and more plans made for eve more yard work.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 10:49
Mile 2 - 13:06 (includes pee break)
Mile 3 - 10:55
Mile 4 - 11:28
Aid Station - 1:58
Mile 5 - 10:14
Mile 6 - 10:46
Turn Around - 3:31
Turn Around - 4:03
Chit Chat - 8:12
Mile 7 - 10:30
Mile 8 - 13:48 (includes refills)
Mile 9 - 10:39
Mile 10 - 10:53
Mile 11 - 12:28
Mile 12 - 11:35 (includes taking photos)
Finish - 2:35:01