Notes
20 mile race run as workout in 2:40:17 (8:01).
My first 20 miler could not have gone better. Nutrition: greek yogurt 2.5 hrs pre-race, coffee 30 min pre-race, 1 GU at 10 miles, water only at stations. Course was a paved trail that was mostly concrete, which beat up my feet a little. Pretty course with lots of deer and at one point a roadrunner. Weather was perfect around 48 and I felt good at the start, steady in the middle, and strong through the end. Really it was one of the best runs I've had. My only real worry was with my right knee/calf, but despite tightness for the last 9 miles, nothing significant came of it.
The plan called for an 18 miler with 10 at MP (7:54). I figured I'd run the first half starting at 9:00 and drift down to 8:30. Then I'd do the 2nd half at just under 8:00, ideally. Obviously, the race got the better of me this time. I was doing okay holding the pace back through (8:20-8:30) through about the first 10k.
I was comfortably riding behind the only runner in sight for a couple of miles, but by mile 4 I was already looking for the john (but I love my pre-race coffee!). I finally spied a portopot at a water station, but about 50 feet back from the trail. In and out and back on course in 53 seconds. So then I had to decide whether to run with a slower bunch whom I've already passed once or speed up and catch the guy I was running with before my pitstop. Obviously, I chose door #2 and sped up about 45 sec/mi until I came up to him around mile 7. I hesitated, but by then I was feeling so good and at close to MP pace that I just couldn't slow up. I kept on trucking and ended up running the last 13.1 in around 1:42, which would have been a PR.