Running Saturday - 11 miles in the books!

I decided it was time to actually start doing long runs again since the Flying Pig is actually coming up pretty soon and I did pay all that money.

Last night:  I was thinking to myself, 'huh, the only real 10 mile route I have is underwater at the moment.  I guess I'll have to come up with something else.'  I have a couple twelve mile routes over the river or involving some combinations of the lakes but 12 was too long.  The closest I could come was either a nine-miler involving a weird lap-and-a-half deal at Lake Harriet or an 11-miler likely to involve a large hill.

This morning: Why is it still dark out?  Must be too early to get up

A few hours after that: Ok, I'm awake.  Don't think about the run, just think about getting dressed.  It seems to be how I get myself going in the morning.  I picked out a cute outfit and then gasp got out my fuel belt and loaded it with some water and a gu pack.

 Here's the route I took.  Ultimately I chose the hill because I need the practice. 

The run itself was uneventful the first seven or so miles.  I was able to go a little harder than I'd originally anticipated and felt like I had lots of energy.  I saw a Bolder Options pair training at the lake.  (I know my people.)  Then I headed back down to the creek.  A vague sense of dread *panic* set in around this time because I was thinking about the hill I'd have to scale to get home.  Dynamite (Taio Cruz) came on my iPod at what is literally the low point of the hill.  The song had a fantastic calming power and I made it up the hill just fine.

The run down the hill could've gone better.  ::Side note to the toenail on the big toe of my right foot - you are the only part of my entire body that hates my new shoes.  You only seem to hate the new shoes when we run down big hills very fast and you bang into the shoes for some reason.  I'll work on solutions, I promise.  Let's make peace before the Pig.::

Once my toenail stopped protesting:  Running back along the creek towards home is always where I loose my mind.  I just want to be done and can't seem to calm my body down.  (Seriously, slow the hell down, there's a couple miles left.)  Plus there's this hill coming up from the parkway to 46th street.  (Who puts a hill that big at the end of a run like that?)  I made it all the way up the second smaller-but-still-full-of-suck hill and even better, past the 10-mile mark before I started throwing in walk breaks.  (Seriously, it's 11 miles and my longest run before that was 6.7; it's fine.)

Post run: I have several thoughts post run.  Here they are in no particular order.

• Gotta find headphones that don't pop out of my ears.  Sadly, noise cancelling headphones are unacceptable for road running because they'd fit the bill nicely.
• That huge blister/cut I get on my back from the Fuel Belt - it's like seeing an old friend.
• My calves hate me.  This forefoot striking thing is not for sissies.
• My arches hate me.  These shoes are not for sissies either.
• I wonder what's going to happen to that toenail?  My one toenail on my big toe; it's not going to fall off I don't think.  It just hurts when I run down hills and me toe slams into the front of the shoe.  I'm experimenting with ways I can trim the toenail to reduce pain on impact. 
• These shoes are PINK
• I need more Gu.
• There should be a little man who cooks me breakfast after these runs.
• Speaking of breakfast.  Mmmm. Bacon and eggs.  At 12:15pm.
• It's 3:30pm.  I'm hungry again.