Notes
Solid last big long run before the marathon 18 days from now. Kept the pace really honest until the last 4 miles when the wheels started coming off. These prairie path out and back routes make for a really tough long run (see map/elevation chart) because you're on a constant up incline the whole second half. Didn't really push through it at the end - my goal was not to bury myself today but to get a good run in - just let myself slow down into a more comfortable pace. Took some fruit snacks about 11-12mi into the run. They helped but they're not as effective as Gu. It's almost like I can feel them go through their whole process in the course of 3mi.
I also know that it sounds silly to say this, but 68degrees made for a hot run. I was really dry by the half way point and had to stop at a number of drinking fountains in order to stay hydrated. I also probably didn't have enough for breakfast. It's hard to know how to plan for an early afternoon run. I had normal breakfast around 7 and then a small snack around 10. Then I had class until 1 and got out for the run right afterward. Besides the "heat" it was a beautiful fall day. The colors on some sections of the path awesome. This run definitely helped boast my confidence in my fitness.
Also a positive - ITBand was a non-issue for the whole run. Let's keep it that way.