21.7 miles !!

Yesterday was a perfect Sunday in Mojave. Warm, no wind, clear sky. A good day for my longest run so far. I did a 21.7 mile run, non stop, at a 8.7 min/mile pace. It was my longest training run by over three miles! I drank 1.6 liters of water and ate a couple of the power bar energy gel packs. Banana Strawberry is disgusting. The route was two laps around the airport and part of a third lap. I took an mp3 player but found I didn't need it and was more comfortable just focusing on my form and breathing... and just enjoying the day. All in all, it was a nice run. The first 18 miles were pretty comfortable. The last bit was hard. I knew that you were more likely to 'hit the wall' after the 18 mile mark and I was mostly stressed for the last three miles that each successive step would be the one where the world came to an end. I didnt find the wall this time around. Aside from being really tired the only squawk that I can report is some sort of fatigue in my lungs or throat. For the last mile or so every breath was accompanied with a buzz or hum that I had no control over.
Also about ten minutes after the run I got really cold. Like teeth chattering REALLY cold.

Today I am sore. But not as bad as on some other runs. I finally feel like the marathon distance is within reach. Yee-Haw!