Week Minus 12 - Distance - 20 miles

Target: 18 miles @8:45/mile
Actual: 20.02 miles @8:00/mile
Garmin Link

Conditions weren't great for running today - although it was mostly sunny and the temperature was near 30F, it was quite windy, which made it feel much cooler. The half-inch or so of snow that fell last night had melted and re-frozen in many places, and I wasn't able to start the run until about 4:00, which meant that the last hour was in full darkness.

For the first time, I decided it was wise to wear a cap, and kept gloves on for the entire run. Started from home, but otherwise ran the same route as last week, turning around at 10.25. Last 11 miles were all below 8:06, and 16, 17 and 18-mile splits were below 7:30. Slowed down a bit for the last two miles, when I left the trail and was dodging traffic and pedestrians on the city streets, but even the last mile was a respectable 7:42. Feel great about this run, since the conditions were tougher than last week and I managed a better time. I'm thinking that it's not out of the question at this point to aim for a 7:30 pace for Boston, with the goal of breaking 3:20 - the qualifying time for men 40-44. It just depends on whether this is a plateau, or I continue to improve.