Going long

Today was 20-miler day.  (Most) everyone training for a marathon does one - a run of 20 miles or more.  When I trained for the Bayshore Marathon, I actually ran a 20 miler and a 22 miler - no room for that this time around due to injuries.  So after running 19 last week, I pushed this run to 21 miles - making it the 3rd farthest I have ever run.

Yes, I know I look like a huge dork.  But at least I'm a dork that just finished running 20+ miles.

Nothing exciting to mention, except the mountainous blister on the inside of my right big toe that I am nursing...  other than that, I felt pretty darn good!  I did make a few untimed stops along the way, but my average pace was 9:32 min/mile - definitely canNOT complain about that!  I tried to keep my pace 9:30-9:40ish and it felt pretty good.  I still managed a negative split.

In SkinnyRunner style, I snapped a few pictures along the way.  I ran out the the State Park, then down along the Riverwalk before heading home.  It was a beautiful morning for a run - I would definitely take this on race day!

 I really do like the rail trail system we have around here - its really pretty, and there are a lot of shaded areas for when its hot.

Here is a lookout point out at the State Park.  I run along the Saginaw Bay a little ways, and this is a small branch off of that.  I love early morning runs and how serene everything looks.

Here is the view of downtown Bay City from one of the bridges I run over to cross the river.  The Riverwalk (on the west side) is usually pretty active and is part of the overall Rail Trail system (it is all connected).

And here is the part that SUCKS - the ice bath.  I am such a baby about getting in, but I really do think it helps with recovery!

I also reached a new weekly mileage high for this training cycle:  41.81 miles running, 6.45 biking.  Here is how it looked:

S 9/18: 6.45 bike, 35:51, 10.8 mph
M 9/19:  P90X Back & Biceps, 35:00 min
Tu 9/20: 5.19 easy, 48:05, 9:16 pace
W 9/21: 10.52 pace, 1:36:01, 9:08 pace (last 5 miles all under 9:00 pace)
Th 9/22: 5.02 easy, 46:18, 9:13 pace
F 9/23: Rest
S 9/24: 21.08 long, 3:20:54, 9:32 pace

And, its football Saturday!  Here are my picks for the week:

10 pts: Oregon over Arizona

9 pts: Ohio St over Colorado

8 pts: Alabama over Arkansas

7 pts: LSU over West Virginia

6 pts: Notre Dame over Pitt

5 pts: Michigan over San Diego St

4 pts: Georgia Tech over North Carolina

3 pts: Florida State over Clemson

2 pts: Texas A&M over Oklahoma St

1 pt: Arizona State over USC

UPDATE: I had 50 points for the week, which was middle-of-the pack for my group.  I did manage to sneak back into 4th place, and Josh is still holding on at the top by a of couple points.

Let's Go Blue!  You'll find me on the couch the rest of the day, watching some college football.