I did this run tonight. I was in a metric mood, and I do enjoy the 15k distance. It's not quite a long run, but it's definitely long enough to make you feel like you're running, for sure. I have to say, I felt remarkably spry tonight- the weather was perfect, the air was dry, I was well rested, everything came together to give me an amazing run. Here's the damage:

15k (9.3 miles) in 1:18:57 (8:28 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 8:40.95
Mile 2- 17:06.01 (8:25.06 mile)
Mile 3- 25:29.61 (8:23.60 mile)
Mile 4- 34:30.41 (9:00.80 mile)
(Mile 5 mark was missed)
Mile 6- 51:26.95 (2 miles in 16:56.54)
Mile 7- 59:54.16 (8:27.21 mile)
Mile 8- 1:08:14 (8:20.37 mile)
Mile 9- 1:16:29 (8:15.38 mile)
9.3- 1:18:57 (2:27.60 three-tenths)

Because my right achilles tendon was kind of sore, I went back and forth between heel and mid-foot striking. There were no other issues that came up to that end.

I had a 10oz cran-apple juice between miles 3 and 5 and that was it, I didn't feel I needed anything else because I felt so good and everything felt real relaxed. Lauren called around mile 6.5 and that was a huge boost and lifted my spirits for the last third. It was a nice, new, longer route (a lot of my runs, even the long runs, have been on repeated 3 and 4 mile routes, this was a full 9.3). I remember thinking to myself around mile 8.5 that I was sad to see this run end, and that it had not felt like I just ran as far as I did already. I remember seeing Curt at the gym later and mentioning that I had only done an easy 15k, and realizing that that's not a mileage that most people think of in terms of "only" or "easy". We long distance runners are a rare and different breed. HAPPY RUNNING INDEED!

So I'm pretty sure this is only the second time I did a 15k during training mid-week. I've planned on it before but have cut them short for various reasons. The first time I did this route, it had just snowed all day and I opted to break out the boots for a slowish and leg tiring 9.3 miles. Tonight there was no snow, but it was frigid cold for the second night in a row. The run was fairly uneventful but good. The only issue was my left foot early on: I could not get comfortable, it felt like my arch was very tight and I stopped to readjust the insole and re-tie the laces a few times. It finally got comfortable around mile 1.5 and the first 2 miles were done in almost 20 minutes! Here's the damage:

15k (9.3 miles) in 1:20:28 (8:39 pace)

Given that the first 2 took approximately 20 minutes, that means the final 7.3 was done in a little over an hour, pretty solid running there, given that I felt easy and relaxed throughout. It was a little nervewracking on the overpasses in the dark because who knows what manner of punks and thugs is doing who knows what there by cover of darkness. Oh well. Like I said, a fairly ho-hum 15k. but that's not the worst thing in the world.

So it started snowing today while I was subbing and it came down pretty freakin' heavy off and on. By the time I got home everything was a mess, so I thought maybe if I waited til later, things would settle down. Well they settled down, precipitation-wise, but the roads were a disaster. Upon just a cursory inspection of what it was like near me I saw a lot of slush and mess and puddles of what had to be freezing cold water. I remembered last Sunday's long run and how that was only freezing rain and the puddles made my feet go numb. Just one puddle tonight that got into my sneaker and my run would be shot on account of my frostbit feet. So I did what any reasonable person would do when faced with such conditions and having a scheduled 15k ahead of him: I laced up my hiking boots and headed out! Here's the damage:

15k (9.3 miles) in 1:29:26 (9:37 pace)

Started off slowly because I was trying to adjust to 'running' in boots clearly not designed for this. It took my feet a while to get used to them, they've only seen limited use this year (12ish miles up and down Mt. Washington in July and then another 8ish on Mt. Whiteface when I visited UNH in early October). My feet were packed in there with regular socks and then hiking socks to keep me warm/help prevent blisters (which it did except for one on the tip of my toe from pushing against the front). My left arch kept cramping and at one point I had to stop, remove it, and re-tie it, eventually the cramps went away and the only issue was the snow that I was traipsing through. They were MUCH heavier than my running shoes, obviously, and that made the whole run into something of a great quad and hamstring workout too. This was primarily the reason for a slower time obviously, but it may be a good thing, forcing me to slow down and not push too hard over the distance.

For the most part, the sneakers would have been fine; the roads were fairly well taken care of and, while not dry, there were not lakes most places and the snow was pretty compact. But there were 2 or 3 spots where I definitely went into a freezing puddle ankle deep and any of those would have immediately ended my run. It didn't affect the boots at all and I was able to continue on my merry way. While this was an interesting change of pace, I hope I don't have to resort to this much more.