Finally... An Easy 20

It doesn't matter how good of shape I'm in, I usually never look forward to the days when I do my 20 mile training runs. Just too many things can go wrong... bad weather conditions, achy legs or just having a bad overall day where the run just seems like it's never going to end. Today, I was finally rewarded with a good 22 mile training run where the weather conditions were great and the run just seemed to fly by. I had an inkling it was going to be a good day when I stepped outside and the sky was overcast and the temp was cool with very little wind. As I told you a couple entries ago, I usually run my best when it's those type of conditions. As far as the run going quick, I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was running in some areas that I usually don't get to run in or hadn't run in a long time. Since I have been dogsitting on the westside of Madison since Saturday, I decided that my long run should include some places like the Village of Shorewood Hills, Picnic Point and the bike path leading to the Memorial Union. I also ran up State St. to the capitol and did a nice loop around the arboretum. While running through the arb, I happened to meet up with my good friend Dave, who was also out doing his 20 miler. We ran together for about 3 miles or so, and it a nice way to break up the monotony of doing a long run. I don't mind running by myself, but it is also nice when I can go for a run and have the company of a good friend. That can make running even more enjoyable. After Dave and I went our separate ways, I did an additional four miles and finished up the 22 miler pretty strong. This was the longest training run I had done to date... and the fastest. I covered the 22 miles at a 7:32 clip. I should be ready for Grandma's Marathon in a couple of weeks.

Today's workout: 22.2 miles > 2:47:31 > 7:32 pace

Miles this week: 31.3