Notes
A really strong long run. Ran 2 loops: one of 8 miles & the 2nd of 6. Had company for the first 10 miles and ran the final four solo. Felt kind of sluggish for the first two miles, but by mile 3 I became really comfortable and the rest of the run really flew by. Started feeling stronger about half way through mile 5 and after that my running rhythm never varied to the end of the run. Looking at the splits, it would appear I picked the pace when I started running by myself at mile 11. But this wasn't the case. My effort was very steady and I was pretty much focusing on getting to the end of each mile as it came. Miles 12 & 13 were interesting because the first 1 1/2 miles of that final 3 mile stretch on the Prairie Path has a steady upgrade plus those 3 miles were into a noticeable wind. Usually my pace drops a bit on that stretch. But not today. The other thing about those final four miles is that, about half way through that stretch, I had the sensation that I was plodding along & must have slowed down a little. Possibly this happened because I was running so steadily and never made a conscious attempt to pick up my effort or the pace. Obviously I did not slow down at the end & I was really surprised at how fast those miles had been when I checked the splits at the end of the run.