Long Slow DESERT Run

Sunday 7/17: It's 5 am, and it's time to hit the road for my 14-miler. Doing it this early ensures that I will be back at the hotel, showered and fed before we need to head out for Evan's Regionals, which start at 8. 

Mike and I had mapped out part of a route the day prior. Taking a back road behind our hotel for 4.5 miles would take me to Hwy. 93. I could either turn back around and then tack on another 5 miles around the hotel (booooooring), or I could do what I really like to do on my out-of-town runs: try and figure out a loop that brings me back to the hotel. I'll do that! (I'm actually pretty good at it.)

First, let me just show you for what my 14-milers look like here in Yuma.

I know what you're thinking, and yes. I took a picture of the computer screen. I COULD NOT figure out how to cut and paste this section of my Garmin report. Damn!

Anyway, that is my typical flaaaaaaaaaaaaaat run. I tried to put a couple of hills in the beginning for a challenge. It's slim pickins in the hill department here though.

Now my run in Kingman:

GAH!!!!

Note the high-altitude training. I'm so badass.

(Not really. Running at 3,680 feet apparently doesn't mean jack. I googled.)

I felt like I was going to die that first hill, but I made it. I actually did it again around Mile 10, in fact! Then I did the Rocky Balboa celebration afterwards!

I did that mofo twice!!! Booyah!!!

It was such a beautiful run. Kingman isn't much to look at for the most part, but the back road that I was on, while slightly Deliverance-ish (sans woods), offered an amazing view of the desert sunrise. Sure, I was sort of scared that someone in a pick-up truck was going to nab me, veer off on one of the side roads and rape me... But I tried not to think about it and chose to enjoy the sunrise and all the bunnies hopping across the road at this hour. They were so cute!

I even stopped to take a picture of the sunrise.

Eh. The iPhone can only do so much.

I then proceeded to butt dial Mike after putting my phone back into my fuel belt.

I took another picture a couple of miles down the road (the choo choo train featured on my first Kingman post), then butt dialed my sister! 

My primary goal each week for my long run is to run the last half at sub-9:00 min/miles. On this run, I didn't worry about it. I felt like I was getting enough of a challenge with the hills that the sub-9 didn't matter today. 

Final Score:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	02:08:43	14.00	09:11
1	00:09:58	1.00	09:59
2	00:09:39	1.00	09:39
3	00:09:02	1.00	09:02
4	00:09:07	1.00	09:07
5	00:09:10	1.00	09:10
6	00:09:08	1.00	09:08
7	00:09:26	1.00	09:26
8	00:08:48	1.00	08:49
9	00:08:52	1.00	08:53
10	00:09:19	1.00	09:19
11	00:09:45	1.00	09:45
12	00:09:00	1.00	09:01
13	00:08:46	1.00	08:46
14	00:08:34	1.00	08:34

I finished strong and felt FANTASTIC. Since Kingman is at a higher altitude and I ran so early, it was really cool compared to Yuma. The week prior on my long run, I thought I was going to die. I came home and jumped straight into our pool, which felt like a bathtub and wasn't much of a relief.

Unfortunately, that's a likely scenario for my 14-miler this Sunday. (((sigh)))

I'll just try to remember that sunrise and those bunnies.