Notes
While training for my 10 marathons over the past 3 years, I have completed a LOT of 20+ mile training runs which incorporated the 16.5-mile loop in Percy and Edwin Warner Parks. This loop makes for a challenging long run because of the 2,300 ft. of elevation gain from start to finish.
This morning, our group was again scheduled to run the 16.5 as part of training for the Rock N’ Roll New Orleans Marathon / Half Marathon. My plan called for 20 today, so John and I decided to start 30 minutes early from our normal post-run breakfast spot, Bread & Company, to add the additional 3.5-miles before and after the group run.
Even though I still feel crummy (can’t seem to shake this cold I came down with on Tuesday), today’s run was the best I’ve ever felt on a 20-miler in the parks. The hills were challenging as always, but my legs felt good all the way to the end, and I felt like I could have easily kept going if needed. Weird thing about how good this run felt is how bad I’ve felt the rest of the day (my cold, not my legs). By far the best I’ve felt all day was during this 20-mile run, which is a weird thing to say.
Anyway, it is good to have this first 20-miler of NOLA training in the books. My schedule calls for two more 20+ runs over the next 4 weeks, and I hope I continue to feel this good during those efforts.