Last long run until race day - 10.76 miles - woo!

Nature smiled on me - and the City of Chicago - this weekend as I set out for my last long run before race day.  It was 45 degrees and sunny!  For the first time in a really long time, I wasn't dodging sheets of ice or snow drifts, I was dodging puddles.  Even splashing smack in the middle of one less than half a mile into the run, and having a soaking wet left foot for the remaining 10+ miles couldn't dampen my spirits.  I had energy, I had a laugh-out-loud funny This American Life podcast on my ipod and I was loving it. 

 
It always takes me a couple miles to actually get into it, to warm up enough and get into enough of a groove to let my mind go.  But once it goes, it goes. Mile 3-7 I was totally in the zone, and really enjoying myself, laughing out loud at mulitple points in my TAL and The Moth podcasts and looking at all of the gorgeous old victorian houses emerging from under the blankets of snow.

By mile 8, I was getting tired and I could feel a blister forming on my wet left foot.  I ran out of Gu last week so I didn't have anything with me to take.  But I pushed though.  And told myself that if the blister got bad enough I'd stop when I ran past the house at mile 9.  Luckily it didn't get too bad and I finished my route -- 10.76 miles!  And eventhough my foot hurt, I felt like I could have easily kept going with a bit of Gu and some gatorade...which is good because two weeks from now I WILL have to keep going for another 2.94 miles :)