11 Miles on the W&OD Trail

Today I was scheduled for my long run of the week - eleven miles at a comfortable pace.  I've picked 9:30/mile as my pace for these runs.  It's 45 seconds per mile off of my desired marathon pace.  I set the Garmin for 9:30 miles and set off.

It was a beautiful day. The kind of clear day you get after a day of heavy rain. My only issue is that there was a bit of a breeze and, as luck would have it, it was in my face for the return trip. This, coupled with the fact that the return trip is mostly uphill, made the return less enjoyable than going out. But only slightly less so. I felt great today.  I went out 5.5 miles, turned around and came back.  My average pace was less than the 9:30 I aimed for.  According to the Garmin it was around 9:16/mile.

I did get a 'stitch' in my abdomen around the 6 mile mark that lasted almost until mile 10.  I attribute it to the heavy food I ate last night at my uncle Ed's 70th birthday party.  It was worth it. :-)

Now to replenish a bit with a light snack.