Long Run - 9 Miles - 6-20-09

My long run today was over the Cooper River Bridge and back. I like running the bridge every few weeks for the hill workout, but it usually kills my knees. This was a nine mile long run so I at least had some time to warm up before I hit the first incline.

We started off at a really slow pace (11:55, 12:05, 11:44, 11:23, 11:45, 11:36) for the first six miles. It was killing me to go so slow, but it was already hot and we were staying as a group for the first part of the run. We picked up the pace for the last three miles to simulate running near marathon pace while tired (9:32, 9:28, 9:36).

My legs felt good and I felt like I could keep up the sub ten pace for a while. My knees were hurting a little at the end of the run, but nothing major.

I did use a camel pack for the first time today. It held seventy ounces of water and I drank all of it. I liked it a lot more than the water belt I have. It was easy to get used to and did not get in my way. It should come in handy when we increase our mileage over the next few months.