22 Mile Long Run...2nd 20+ In the Bag

Long run today…planned 22 miles, had thought of running the last 8 miles at marathon pace, but alas, that wasn’t to be today…this is only my 2nd at least 20 miler so I can’t expect that it would be perfect, I’m still building up and I did run a hilly course, intentionally, since I know that MCM is hilly at least at the beginning and end…I’m doubting it is as hilly as what I ran (and it was mostly uphill, now I understand the stories of walking uphill both ways to school in the snow that I used to hear). Anyway, I averaged a 9:18 pace, even though I had to take a few walk breaks near the end, and had a stop for filling water bottles at a sprinkler, and one other stop to cool my face at a sink in a bathroom along the way…Oh, one other thing, I didn’t get going that early, which means it was warmer, although not nearly as humid as it has been. It probably got to 80 by the end, so it’s warmer, but it was still an OK run…I learned one new thing on it…Cliff Block Shots in Black Cherry (with caffeine) are really yummy and better than a gel…although they do take a bit of chewing and sometimes it wasn’t quite what I wanted…I drank almost 3 7 oz bottles of endurance Gatorade on the run, but only took the 2 servings of Cliff Shots and know I needed more calories which I’m sure was a big part of the slow down and somewhat “bonking” that I had. I have 3 more 20 milers and one 24 miler planned for this training session…time to resolve some of these issues.

Mile 1: 8:55
Mile 2: 8:49
Mile 3: 8:55
Mile 4: 8:55
Mile 5: 8:57
Mile 6: 8:54
Mile 7: 9:01
Mile 8: 9:01
Mile 9: 8:44
Mile 10: 9:18
Mile 11: 9:05
Mile 12: 9:28
Mile 13: 8:44
Mile 14: 9:07
Mile 15: 9:14
Mile 16: 9:54 (getting water on my face)
Mile 17: 9:48
Mile 18: 11:32 (playing in the sprinklers for more water)
Mile 19: 9:14
Mile 20: 9:56
Mile 21: 9:39
Mile 22: 9:14

OK, it’s actually much better on consistency…although planned pace is 9:12, and I’d like to be running the last half at 8:12 pace…but today was an OK run.

In other news…the roommate I had lined up suddenly decided he can’t afford it, now I’m not asking that much for rent, but OK, so he can’t afford it, WHY DIDN’T HE KNOW THIS?? Seriously, how can you not know how much you can afford BEFORE you look at places, he had put down a deposit on a place that was $300 more than I’m asking and didn’t include utilities right before he got out of that and was going to move in with me…that should’ve been my first clue. So anyway, I put up an ad on craigslist again and am looking through roommates.com, the place I have used before as well and ended up with an email from the last freak that lived with me, the guy that I kicked out, and he knew very well that it was my place and he tried to go through this whole thing how it was divine intervention that had him finding my listing when he’s looking for something cause his sublease is ending…umm, yeah, I kicked him out…I want nothing to do with him, I told him to never contact me again and since that time he has sent me a card with an apology, (again not respecting my wishes of never contacting me again), and then he sent me an e-mail wondering if I had received the card and told me that he had tried to call me but I didn’t answer (that was when I was at my parents and don’t get service in their house which I had told him if it goes right to voicemail, the phone isn’t on and I don’t see listings of missed calls either…idiot…but as we know, if I even see him again, I will commit a crime…what a freak…