Notes
This was a solid training run, maybe the best of the year on several levels. We were out there a long time, the terrain was tough and the day was hot (although thankfully overcast until the last hour). I would say that the one downside was that we paused far too often for this and that and generally screwed around too much. Unsure if this impacted negatively on a good training effect, but it will be different come race day to string all those miles together without stopping.
In spite of an overabundance of little breaks, I am sore and tired this morning clearly indicating that I got a lot out of my day yesterday. I worked the uphills; where I couldn't run I walked hard. I felt pretty strong straight to the end and felt I could have gone farther. I ate steadily too which seemed to help keep my energy up straight through to the final miles.
On the day in general:
Skip added a lot to our little training run day - he brought out an additional 30 or so folks to the run which gave us around 80 people total. He also arrange for Hila to come out and serve sandwiches, etc at the finish. It was an excellent scene and I can see it becoming as popular as race day itself, perhaps even more so, because of the relaxed vibe and great post-run refreshments.