Twenty Miler with Some Company

I had made plans with Eggers earlier in the week to meet mid-morning for a 20-mile run and then spend the rest of the weekend with my family because my sister and my niece are in town.  As discussed, however, I actually had to do some work for a change so the schedule would have to be amended.  Shockingly, I couldn't get Eggers to agree to meet earlier but in his defense he was still on L.A. time.

I met David Brinkley at the Sardis lot at 8:30 a.m. and it was cold.  I wore two dry-fit long-sleeved shirts, some gloves, and a hat in addition to my longer running shorts.  The outfit was a bit overkill but I didn't feel too uncomfortable.  I had planned to run somewhat fast for a long run last week and nailed it; today, I would need to run slow, never picking up the pace.  We ran down Sardis, through Lansdowne, up the hilly section of Providence Road and down through Alexander and Brackenbury before making it back to Sardis.  I took a break to water the bushes after mile three, meaning I was more than hydrated - a good sign.  I took my first gel packet at mile six and since we weren't going to hit ten miles before we made it back to the lot, we wound through the Old Bell hills (apparently, I just can't get enough).  While we were back there David asked me why I hated him so much but also commented on how he could see why it was such a good workout, and even mentioned that he may try it himself before long.

After about 9.5 miles we made it back to the lot, where Eggers was waiting to join us.  David and I both drank some water and shed some layers because the temperature was rapidly increasing.  I enjoyed running with company on this one because I wanted it to be easy and we had some good conversation.  We did the typical Sardis-to-Harris-plus 5k course-and back run that any reader of this blog should know by now.   If I ever get some time, I plan to drive around to my different running spots and take some pictures to post here.


There is not a whole lot to report on this one because we intentionally ran slow and never picked up the pace.  Having two running buddies essentially eliminated the necessity to think or exercise any mental toughness, which was a nice change from what I've put myself through recently.  I didn't feel fantastic but hey, it's 20 miles.  Who does feel great when running that far?  The important thing is that I have now done two 20-mile runs and in some circles, that means you're ready for a marathon.  Always one to do things my own way, however, I'm not done: I plan to do a 22-miler in a couple weeks.  I'm happy to change things if I don't feel up for it but I'm not satisfied with two 20-mile runs right now.

As always...stay tuned.

Mile Splits and Map, courtesy of David and his GPS watch.