First 20 miler done

Against my better judgement, I decided to get my long run in the day after getting home from Costa Rica. It was a phenomenal trip where I ended up running every day but yesterday, so I decided I was rested enough to attempt a 20 miler. I wanted to run with a power gel to see how my body reacted but I couldn't find one, so I pounded a power bar before my run. The power bar worked great, and I didn't bonk at all today. I headed south on Lakeshore Drive and had to run through the Chicago Triathlon (which I slightly regret not racing).

It took me a while to get going today, but after easing into the run for 3 miles, I was suddenly clicking off 6:20's at will. About 6-7 miles in the splits dropped down to 6:10's. The lakeshore trail actually ends 9 miles from apartment so I had to improvise in the south side near the 70's streets. I also made sure to pause for water periodically so my body didn't go into shock. When I flipped and headed home, the splits dropped to around 6:05 for the next several miles. Around mile 17 I caught up with the triathlon run and mooched off some of their gatorade and water, which was key, but actually a good race simulation so I figured I had a good excuse. The last couple miles were relaxed around 6:20, but everything was still feeling good. Total time for the run was 2:06 and change for 20 miles.

Hours later, my body is doing well except my calves are a little tight. Plan is to take it easy the next couple days and do a road tempo mid-week. I also just signed up for the Chicago Half Marathon on September 12 so that should be a good indicator of where my fitness is. Total mileage for the week was 69 in 6 days of running.