14 miles - 4:12 hours
Well, today's run got all screwed up. I ran the New Canton 20K, with an extra mile and a half or so to make 14 miles for my half marathon training. I know I finished the run at 14 miles and hit "Stop", but the run log has disappeared. I remember that it said 4:12 hours — which is a lot for 14 miles, that would come out to a pace of around 18 minutes/mile. I don't think I was that slow! But I ended up running the last 8-ish miles at home, and using the GPS to keep track of miles, which has been shown to undercount the distance when I'm running circles around the house, so I suspect my total mileage was greater than 14 miles.
I came home from the park after about 6 miles, because my stomach was wonky, but since it's New Year's Day, the restrooms were closed. Aargh! I was going to try to run it out anyway, but it quickly (before I even got across the parking lot and back onto the trail) became evident that a bathroom was necessary, so I got in my truck and came home. I didn't feel like driving back to the park after that, and the driveway was reasonably dried out after this last night's snow, so I just ran at home. I should have counted laps or something to make sure I got the distance right, but I figured it would be close enough anyway so just let the GPS measure it. At least the GPS didn't stop working after a mile, as it has done the last three times I ran around the house! After emailing with ZR support, I checked a few things and noticed that the phone's Bluetooth was on — there was no need for that, and I don't remember turning it on, maybe it got reset in the last update. So I turned it off to see if that would help, and possibly that was what was causing the problem. I don't know why Bluetooth should interfere with the GPS, but whatever.
Anyway, what with the break to drive home, and the distance being not totally reliable, and losing the run log, I can't really say anything about today's run other than I did it! But that's all that really matters, I guess.
It was a cold run today, around 40 F all day, sunny but with a cold breeze. I didn't get started at the park until a little after 11 AM, so I ran in the warmest part of the day. Took my hoodie off for a while in the sun, but I was out for so long that the sun had gone behind the mountain before I finished and I put the hoodie back on. Used my usual 1:1 minute run/walk ratio and managed pretty well. I was tired by the time I finished, but kept up with my run intervals until the end. I really wish I could see my split times, I don't feel like I slowed down that much but it's hard to say.
I ended up skipping almost two weeks' worth of runs, between the weather and being busy with Christmas preparations. I am really having a hard time with my training this time. If I hadn't already paid for my Disneyland hotel and invited a friend along with me, I'd probably just forget about the half marathon. But I'm going to Disneyland anyway, so I might as well do the race. If I finish, great, if I don't, well, I'm no worse off than if I hadn't run it. After this one, though, I'm taking a break. Probably do the spring Zombies, Run! Virtual Race, but no more half marathons for a while.
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