Another 10 miler.

My company all but shuts down between Xmas and New Years so I have the week off. I got out for another 10 mile run today. It was similar to Saturday's run except slightly less climbing and the climbing was more concentrated. I ran a familiar route out to the top of Fox Island and back. My legs didn't feel as fresh as they did on Saturday but I was still able to push myself to keep a similar pace. I ran about an hour after I ate lunch and again had heartburn. I should carry a Tums or two with me... ugh.

It was in the low 40s and sunny today. I remembered to bring a hat instead of just a Spandex/Lycra beanie so the sun didn't constantly shine in my eyes. Living here I just expect it to be overcast all winter I guess. I was actually too warm most of the run. I was wearing knee-high socks (more on that later), running pants over a pair of Race Ready shorts and two shirts. The socks looked ridiculous pulled up to my knees so on my wife's fashion advice I wore running pants. This was a mistake; I should have just went with silly looking instead of overheated calves/shins. The double shirt was a bad call also. I'm still trying to nail down dressing for winter running here.

I ran the first mile slowly (9:21) to try to warm up. I've been reading Run Less Run Faster and the authors stress warming up and cooling down EVERY SINGLE RUN, something that I've usually only done for speed work sessions. After the slow first mile I went on to knock off miles between 7:01 and 7:47 depending on the hilliness of the roads. The route goes up a hill that's about a mile long right before the 5 mile turn-around point (the 7:47 split). I pushed pretty hard getting up the hill and didn't have a lot of energy to run back down fast once I got to the turn around. Overall I ran pretty evenly with a slight negative split. I was just gassed by the 9 mile point though. I was glad when I hit 9 miles and could run the last mile as cool-down. I had two Gels with me that I never touched. I probably should have eaten one about half way through the run.

The knee-socks that I was wearing were CW-X compression support socks. Another xmas present from me to me. They're nylon/polyurethane and have webbing to support the calves, ankle joints, and arch. They claim to reduce muscle fatigue, and increase recovery & circulation. I don't usually have sore calves on shorter runs. With the running pants, the socks just made my legs sweat that much more. That said I'm not sore and I ran at almost the same pace I did on Saturday so I don't think they were holding me back. They're the only pair of socks I've run in other than Wright double layer socks in the past 8 years or so. No blisters or skin issues but it was only 10 miles. I look forward to using these socks on 2 and 3 hour runs.

The shorts were new as well. I've been looking for a pair of running shorts that have a longer inseam than the tiny shorts that I've been wearing for years but I tend to be very prone to leg chafing. I don't know if there's something out there that long distance guys swear by so I just went with the brand that puts a bunch of pockets in the back of the shorts for holding stuff like gels or extra HEED. They seemed to work pretty well today. Anyone have suggestions on good running shorts?

The numbers:
Time: 1:20:29
Dist: 10.2
Avg: 7:53/mi (7:23/mi not counting the warm-up and cool-down miles)
Ascent/Descent: 2073 / 2107 (Garmin inflated numbers)
Avg HR: 147

Splits:
9:21
7:17
7:01
7:29
7:47
7:04
7:06
7:43
7:30
10:04

I need to get one more run in before Jan 1st to hit 100 miles for the month for the first time since before my knee surgery.