Across the River, Over the bridge
I've had some tough brakes with my long runs this training cycle so the first 16 miler had me a little intimidated. I knew I could get it done, but not sure how I would get it done.
Sixteen miles is a lot of ground to cover. I went with my default when I have this many miles to manage and headed over the Saginaw across the bridge. Lit up with a reflection against the river, the sky line felt very metropolitan. Not very big, but beautiful. It's a lovely site to come across at 4:30am. I proceeded through downtown and made a pass by the cathedral before heading along the river walk. There are no lights along the path here, but there also aren't any obstacles. I could see old town in the distance, but knew I wouldn't be going that far. Instead I went over Remington, up Michigan Ave, past the art museum, before crossing the hospital's campus.
I pulled my Saucony Endorphin Speed 2's out of retirement. They are a wee bit springier than the Asics I've been using lately which, if I'm honest have been giving me a weird sore foot when I start to get to mile 8 or 9. It's not awful, and my foot isn't sliding, but something just feels like it is falling flat. The endorphin Speed have more pop and energy return from the ball to the toe. It's notable.
Like any long run the hardest part didn't start until about 3 miles out. The difference between 13 miles and 16 miles doesn't seem really radical, but my mind starts to check out a bit as my legs start to feel the strain in a way they hadn't even during the previous distance. My guts weren't feeling the best either. So that added to the complications of the final stretch of the work out. (I've got to be extra mindful of what goes into my body before long runs and how I'm fueling to retrain my guts. This has been hard to do to this point because it is so cold my fuel freezes)
On the weekends I sometimes am tempted to just stay up after my run rather than go back to bed even though I know going back to bed for a few hours makes the most sense for my ability to function the rest of the day. I think to myself that a little quite without being in motion sitting in a chair reading a book would be pleasant. There is also something pleasant about sleeping hard the way I do when I crawl back to bed completely relaxed.
Just over 60 miles for the week. Almost 8.5 hours of time on my feet. As each progressive workout is behind me and the weather improves, I feel more confident in my training and moving toward hitting my mark. Only time will tell, but the way things are going. I'll not just be ready. I'll feel that way too. 
