Last long run before taking it easy for Urban Bourbon Half, which is a week from tomorrow.

Distance:  11.5 miles, Time:  1:57:28, Pace:  10:13, Elevation Gain:  386

Good weather:  Sunny, no wind, 42 degrees when I started and 51 at the end

I left at 9am but had a wardrobe malfunction within a block, so I went right home and changed into pants that weren’t going to fall down.  I also realized I was overdressed, wearing long sleeves and a jacket, so I changed into just a tank under the jacket.  Good choice.  I would have been miserable, especially on the blocks where the sun was hitting me.  This was the first chilly morning I’ve run in at least a year, and there will be a learning curve on figuring out how to dress for longer distances.

Black shoes.  Two crumpets for breakfast; two cups of coffee.  I felt okay starting.  Huffy and puffy and not loving it, but by mile 3 I was in my happy spot and around mile 8 I was having a grand time.  Running in cooler weather is leaps and bounds better than hot weather.

Went toward downtown until the ballpark, then back around via Main St, up Baxter, down Grinstead into Cherokee Park, potty stop and water refill at mile 7, around the loop and out the way I came in, then down Cherokee Road and up and down Cherokee Parkway.  11 and a half miles! (I got a ride home the rest of the way from Stuart, who *happened* to driving by on his way home for lunch)  I was getting tired, but body wasn’t hurting.  I feel like I could have done another mile and a half without killing myself.  I would love to finish Urban Bourbon in 2:20 but really the goal is to simply finish.  I guess it depends on how hilly the course is and if I have to make a potty stop.  I will definitely not have two cups of coffee on race day.  Hills on this run:  up Baxter, hill by Cherokee golf course, up to Hogan’s Fountain, up Cherokee Parkway.  The whole second half was pretty hilly, but there were downs after the ups, so it all worked out.  I switched up the intervals and did 2 minute run/30 second walk.  It was fine, noticeably more difficult but not onerously.  I used the interval timer on the fitbit–really nice feature.  Just need to decide what to do for the race.