another week already?

i finished a 13.25 mile run today, emphasis on finishing. i experimented again with energy, this time with apple pie flavored clif shot get at 5miles and 10miles. i'm home this weekend, so to do this i ran my five5 mile loop twice and finished with my 3.25 mile loop.

i don't know what happened, though. i felt fine at both 5 and 10 miles, but just shy of mile 11, i couldn't run anymore. i can't imagine it was energy, and if it were, i would've felt fine after it kicked in. i struggled the rest of the way home and had to force myself to run the last 2/3 mile from 11 mile home.

my only theory is that i was running too hard, since i didn't have my heart rate monitor with me. (i left it at work.) this is entirely possible, so i'm not really discouraged. my legs did and do feel better than last week, so hopefully next week will be easier. i suppose the fact that i was back on concrete and asphalt instead of finely crushed gravel rail-to-trail made a difference, too, though my feet didn't get sore like the end of last week's run. whatever. it's all in the wash now.

i do 10 miles next saturday, which is good because we're having friends stay with us, and it's sarah's graduation. and then i get slapped with 15 miles the following friday (before we leave for california). i will be going slow the next two weeks. i don't want to wear myself out. somewhere between last week and this week, speed just isn't a priority anymore.

ergonomically, i prefer the chews to the gels. i get the gel into my stomach faster, and i've read it digests faster than the chews, but it leaves more of a residue, which leaves my mouth dry. i didn't ever feel like i needed to rinse extra well, but then my dry mouth came out again. next week is a one-packet run, but i'll probably need two the following week. i'm not sure what i'll do about water, but mayabe i'll run past a 7-11 or something.

robb.