Today's plan was dress rehearsal for the 8:23/mi pace that I'll need at Cowtown as a pace for th 3:40 marathon group. I had planned to do 22 miles and see how long I could hold the pace.
When I got to the turnaround on the trail at 11 miles, I felt pretty good -- the sun was shining, it was mid 40s, and I figured "why not just go for the full 26.2?". So I continued on until the 13.1 mark, then headed back. I maintained the 8:23 pace for about 17 miles until I started up the gradual incline which lasts for about 4 miles. By the top my AP was 8:29 with 4 miles to go. The last 4 miles are a gradual downhill, so I just picked it up a little. With 2 miles left, I needed to run 7:30s. With 1 mile left I needed a 7:15. Ran the last mile in 7:17 finished in 3:40:02. This was a fun experiment.
I also cut myself some slack. I stopped a few times along the route to refuel and hydrate (I was wearing a camelback which when I started had about 4 large glasses of water in it). While stopped I stopped my watch -- so I cheated a little.
I've been reading the book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall -- and it's got me thinking a lot about running in general. Everything from nutrition, shoes (I'm really thinking of trying barefoot -- but only when the temperature and terrain are right), distance (are marathons long enough??, and running more trails. I'm sure the book swayed me a little to push to 26.2 on Saturday, instead of just 22.
I should be ready for Cowtown in 3 weeks -- now I just need to stay healthy and injury-free! | 
