Take 3, success

My goal was to do 14 in a 9:33 pace, without stopping. I realized yesterday I have never ran a marathon without stopping; surely I should be able to do 14 though. Usually I stop to readjust my blister pads, get a drink, or go to the bathroom. This time I planned well enough I didn't have to stop; in fact my hydration pack actually ran out 10 steps before my car in the parking lot. Good stuff. I had grapefruit juice and a vitamin juice energy drink...it turned out to be just right and I didn't feel bloated or hungry. For breakfast I ate a banana and green juice (Odwalla). I write all that down because it worked perfectly and I want to remember it for next time.

The exciting part today was at 7.2. I was just getting into the boonies of the boonies on the highest part of my run and I came up on two bikers, who both yelled at me, "BEAR!, There is a bear back there! It just ran across the street. Turn around." I looked at my Garmin and it said 7.2 so I thought, "What the heck, I will do an out and back instead." So I turned around and ran the next mile in 8 minutes. I wouldn't mind dying of a cardiac arrest on a run but I don't want my dripping hydration pack to become bear bait, really. I looked behind me a couple of times but I never saw a bear. I got to warn another biker about the bear....but I didn't get to do the long 4 mile downhill on the back side...the one that has probably saved my quads in the St. George and Boston marathons. Oh well, it all evened out.

I ended my 14 at 2:10:50, about two minutes too fast, and jogged in the last .4, thinking it was too hard for a training run...it's hard to say. When I am going really easy I really am going 11 minutes a mile...my death jog can be around 13 or 14minutes per mile on the uphills. So, go figure. Maybe my training runs should be 9:45a mile? That won't prep me for any PR though...you tell me. I guess we'll see how fast I can do the 5K in a week.