Sunday, February 27, 2011

I win!

As of Friday, the forecast was looking a little nicer for Saturday, so I considered moving my long run forward instead of joining the group on Sunday. I also liked the idea of having an extra day to recover before my half marathon next weekend.

Imagine my disappointment surprise when I woke up on Saturday morning to a blanket of unexpected fresh snow. *sigh* After hemming and hawing for a while and double checking the forecast, I decided to go ahead anyway because I really liked the idea of gaining that "bonus" day to recover before the race. Sleeping in on Sunday sounded good too. :-)

I got a bit of a late start at 8:30, which I didn't mind since I hoped it would be a little warmer and sunnier later in my run. Hubs joined me for the first 8K and then sent me on my way to finish the looooong run solo!


The footing was dicey to start, with a fluffy layer of the white stuff and ice underneath - but nothing like last week! I stepped carefully and waited patiently for the sun to come out - which it eventually did! The paths started clearing immediately and I found myself picking it up gradually.

I made a quick pit stop at the car with 10K for a bottle-swap and to grab the camera.





I noticed that I was picking up the pace more and more as I drew closer to that arbitrary finish line and I was on my way to a pretty significant negative split. I had the music going, I was soaking up the fresh air and just really enjoying myself. (Almost) 22 miles is a long way to go, especially (mostly) solo, but the time and miles were ticking by much quicker than I expected.



Before I knew it, I had 5K to go and I decided to test my legs for some quicker-than-MRP splits. I nailed it: 5:12, 5:12, 5:13, 5:13, 5:03.

And done!



35.0KM (21.75mi) - 3:12:40 - 5:30/KM (8:52/mi)


 


Post-run, it was into the ice bath followed by a big green smoothie - 2 things I would not have been able to do after the run today since we had a big brunch planned right after. But don't you worry, I still showed up for the food.


 

When I woke up this morning to a ton of fresh snow (way more than yesterday), my first thought was: "I win!"  After a bit of a sleep-in, a leisurely morning and a short recovery run on the treadmill, it was off to join all of my running buddies for a fantastic spread. Hearing about everyone's run this morning, I definitely chose the right day to run this weekend. I guess this makes up for my craptacular blizzard run last Saturday.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

u do win!
great job! that is fantastic.
is that the newmarket train station?

Karen said...

You did a great job in the snow! And your trail looks like a really nice place to run. Good luck on your half marathon next weekend :) You'll do great I'm sure.

Christine said...

You rock!! Good job on getting out there alone and finishing in a great time!!

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Yay you definitely DID win. We had snow both mornings too.. when is winter going to be OVER?

J said...

I was worried about Saturday here too after we got hit Friday with snow! Great job on the awesome long run! Super speedy!

N.D. said...

Ya! Nice job on the 22! solo - I can't do it anymore!

H Love said...

WINNER!!!! You are so darn cute!! Nice job!

Char said...

That's one great-looking breakfast. Well done on choosing your long-run day wisely.

Anonymous said...

You've got those long run day choosing powers on your side for sure!

ajh said...

You did win! And you look great.......I love that jacket.

MCM Mama said...

Definitely a winner! Way to knock out that long run!

5 Miles Past Empty said...

Nice job!!! And BTW, I would have just plopped down and buried my legs in the snow for a bit instead of an ice bath.

The brunch looks DE-Lish!

Angie said...

A WIN indeed!!!! Great job!! What a solid long run!! :)

Unknown said...

Fantastic time on the long run. The extra day will feel good.

Jill said...

Excellent run, Chica!! Um...yeah, all that snow would probably make me do some wrist slitting.

Nicole said...

NIce job on the run! I'm SO over snow!!!

P.s. how far do you live from Michigan???

Katie A. said...

SCORE! Nice RUN GIRLIE! That is an awesome pace! You're running so well, so proud of you!
Have a great week!

Aron said...

NICE job on the long run! wow ours sounded so similar :) partially with someone, big negative splits, and pretty close on timing too! too bad we aren't close enough to be running together :)

EndorphinBuzz said...

Glad you were able to beat the snow :)

fancy nancy said...

Winner winner chicken dinner!!! Great job on the long run....seriously can I be you when I grow up?

Laura said...

awesome job...and you totally won...yesterday sucked in my opinion. Next Sunday better be sunny, no wind and 20 degrees....

Running Ricig said...

nice run!!!

Jen Feeny said...

Thank goodness! I was hoping you'd have a better run this weekend girl! You def won and way to go on the pace!

Runners Fuel said...

great job!!

Anonymous said...

I absolutely loved ALL the pics from your run! :) And I have no idea how you ran outside in the cold and then took an ice bath. You are my hero! LOL!

Lindsay said...

Umm what's with the ceiling myspace shot? Like you need to emphasize your skinniness...

Also, I am so glad I live in the south. I would be soo depressed in that cold. I must say I am enjoying a mild early spring... ;)

Nicole @ Haute Runner said...

Love all the self portraits!! You are looking fabulous!