Long run #2

9+ miles (probably at least half a mile longer than the Pod asserts - I turned around at 20th St., right in front of Chelsea Piers, so if you count from 116th St. at 20 blocks/mile it is closer to 9.6), at a pace slower than I am willing to acknowledge in public!

Around 72nd St. I realized that (a) it was almost completely dark and I had better come up out of the park and (b) the fat droplets of rain I had begun to feel were about to turn into a torrential deluge...

The last couple miles home were actually very enjoyable, temperatures dropped a bit, but it was pouring for ten minutes or so - I was picking my way very cautiously through insane puddles and dark streets, I cannot remember when I last had such awful soggy feet!

Once it had mostly stopped raining, I was very tempted to stop and take off shoes and socks and wring out the socks, only I was not quite sure I would really want to put them back on again...

I do not know why I always think beforehand that a 'short' long run of 9 miles or so will be an absolute breeze; I enjoyed it, especially the last few miles, but it was definitely a bit of a slog!

Thus ends week 2 of marathon training. My first two weeks have been fairly half-assed, due to circumstances - well, I will not call them beyond my control, really they were wholly of my own devising, but the combination of Olympic-distance triathlon on the 20th, B-Fit B-day obstinacy on my part on the 21st, and then travel/vacation meant that I did only 3 rather than 4 runs each of these weeks.

The next few weeks should be good, though. Next week's long run is only 6 (I'm doing a somewhat modified version of Higdon's Novice 2 program, but though I've tinkered with the mid-week schedule, I'm going to hew pretty closely to the long run distances, it is my temperamental weakness that I would be tempted to go longer and set myself up for an injury), which is a pity, but I will milk it for every ounce of possible enjoyment!