Notes
Not totally sure about the distance of this run. It started out as a simple out and back on the prairie path but I ended up adding on a couple of detours. Overall this was a really good long run though. Felt strong through the end. The last 30min of the run were the fastest but I didn't feel like I was forcing it. My legs wanted to pick it up.
The first detour of the run came about 1.5mi in. Nature called fairly quickly and so I stopped at a park along the path hoping to use the port-o-john that was just put out for the season this past week. Unfortunately, there was a padlock on in. Not sure why port-o-potties are high security, but apparently they are. I was hoping I'd be able to make it all the way out to Lake Ellyn and use the bathroom there. That ended up not being the case. I made it about another mile before finding a gated coral of dumpsters. Private and just as clean as a port-o-john. Felt much better afterward. Felt a little awkward emerging from the dumpster area and didn't want to just jump back on the path right from there (I'm neurotic, I know). The people who I had passed over the past few minutes would have found it weird that I was suddenly passing them all again. So I wound through downtown Glen Ellyn, picking it up significantly, trying to re-pass a bunch of people before getting back on the path. The next 40min or so of the run were pretty uneventful. Just as I was cresting the bridge over 83 (about 5min before the time I was planning on turning around at), I see someone who looks suspiciously like Nelson coming the other way. The dog, the Black "NC" winter beanie, the stride. Certainly it was Nelson. So I turned around and ran with him for about 15min. Pace didn't slow down too much. He was going probably about 7:10pace or so. We caught up for a while. It was great. He eventually turned back and I kept on, slowly picking it up. Spent a little time on the dirt trails in Churchill Woods in Glen Ellyn and added on a loop in downtown Wheaton at the end to make sure I got over 2 hours. Only took a few mile splits throughout the whole run. Split 2mi in 13:05 leading up to the 1:55 mark of the run. Felt solid but controlled. Very encouraging.