Uncharted Territory

October 23, 2010

Mal and I headed into uncharted territory this morning. We each ran fourteen miles, which is the longest distance that either of us have ever run. Hooray!! I was psyched to finish today! :mrgreen:

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As you probably know, I’m in the process of testing out fuel for my long runs, so I tried a Honey Stinger on this morning’s training run.

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The other day, Monica sent me a whole slew of her favorite products to try out. I really liked the Honey Stinger – Gold, which is pure natural honey with no flavors added. The consistency made it easy to eat while jogging (I didn’t have to stop and chew) and the flavor didn’t leave a weird taste in my mouth. (It tasted like regular ol’ honey.)

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After eating my usual, go-to breakfast, I got my running gear, which included loading up my Spibelt.

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My Spibelt holds my iPhone and “fuel” for the run. It would also probably fit an ID, cash, a key, or other small items. (A few people asked what fits inside my Spibelt, so I just wanted to let ya know! ;-) )

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When Mal and I arrived at the South Boston Running Emporium, our coach gave us a map of our 14-mile training route, which started in Southie, looped around Boston Common and the Charles River and back to South Boston.

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We started down D Street to Summer Street and past South Station.

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Which brought us to Downtown Crossing.

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And then to Boston Common.

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Where the first water stop was located (about 2 miles into the run).

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The next few miles took us around Boston Common and down Beacon Street to the Charles River.

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I love running along the Charles! It’s so pretty! :-D

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Around mile 5.5, I crossed over the river to the Memorial side.

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Around mile 6, I slowed my pace and ate the Honey Stinger. It went down, no problem!

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Then, I continued on until I hit the Mass Ave bridge.

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The Head of the Charles was happening today! :-D

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Miles 8-11 took us down Beacon Street, around Boston Common once again, and looped back through Downtown Crossing. We followed Summer Street to L Street and back to the South Boston Running Emporium.

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The final couple of miles were killer, but I pushed through and finished in 2:09:30 (9:15 pace).

  • Mile 1: 9:12
  • Mile 2: 8:51
  • Mile 3: 9:26
  • Mile 4: 9:09
  • Mile 5: 9:09
  • Mile 6: 9:04
  • Mile 7: 9:10
  • Mile 8: 9:07
  • Mile 9: 9:21
  • Mile 10: 9:46
  • Mile 11: 9:27
  • Mile 12: 9:05
  • Mile 13: 9:36
  • Mile 14: 9:36

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Once I finished, I stretched and rehydrated with a packet for orange-flavored GU Recovery Brew, which was pretty good. It sort of reminded me of Tang.

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Breakfast

Mal and I said goodbye to our team and drove straight to the Wheelhouse Diner for breakfast. I ordered my usual: 2 eggs with homefries, toast, and coffee.

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Ya can’t go wrong with this breakfast! ;-)

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Then, Mal and I had the busiest day ever… and it’s not over yet! 8-O More to come!

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{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }

Anne @ Food Loving Polar Bear October 24, 2010 at 1:59 pm

You have such BEAUTIFUL autumn weather! I’m truly jealous!

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Lisa October 24, 2010 at 2:53 pm

Ooohhh your pictures make me miss Boston so much!

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Shanna October 24, 2010 at 2:55 pm

You are awesome. What a run!

The stinger chews are really tasty too!

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Laura @ Backstage Pass October 24, 2010 at 3:46 pm

Congrats on your new running milestone (pun intended)!

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Christen. October 24, 2010 at 10:27 pm

Congrats on your run! I competed in the Head of the Charles when I was in college. You brought back some great memories.

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maya @ finding balance in tokyo October 25, 2010 at 12:38 am

Wow, congrats on your run! It looks like it was a beautiful day to do 14 miles. I’m really intrigued by the honey stinger. I prefer to go natural and usually pack dates, but honey seems like it would be a nice option for longer runs.

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Tammy October 25, 2010 at 8:11 am

random question on your SPI– where do you wear it, with the pouch in the front or the back? I’ve tried both and it still kinda bounces a little–I have the same content, iphone and gel— I cant figure out what I”m doin wrong here.

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Tina October 25, 2010 at 8:21 am

@Tammy: I got it from the Spibelt website.

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Lori October 25, 2010 at 8:31 am

Great job on your run. I need to get me a spibelt. Looks like it would be usefull. I’m training for a 1/2 in 3 weeks and have been looking into some kind of belt to carry cellphone and some race nourishmnet. Looks like a beautiful place to run especially with the water.

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Danny October 25, 2010 at 1:45 pm

And there I thought the ~5 miles I ran were impressive. Stinger or not, you rock!

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Kristen October 27, 2010 at 5:45 pm

Wow! Keeping up that pace is impressive for all those miles! I am training for my first half marathon and am wondering how you built up your endurance. Were you always able to keep up such a fast pace???

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