17 miles!

Today was the day that worked best for my husband and I to do a long run together, and since our 16 miler last week was kind of a bust, we decided to go for 17 today.  We started out around 9:30, hoping that the sun coming up would warm the air a bit.  It was a chilly 20 degrees this morning, but I'm pretty sure it's up to the 30's now.  So the only thing we had to contend with was a little bit of wind, which didn't actually hit until around mile 6, so it wasn't too bad.  This was the furthest distance my husband has run, so we took it slow and used a 4:1 min. run/walk ratio.  He did great, and only started to complain about the pain starting around mile 15 or so.  I felt pretty good, though I did start having some serious hunger pangs during the second half of the run.  I had eaten when I woke up this morning around 6, a piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and honey, and a mini-Clif energy bar.  I also took a package of energy beans (100 calories) and another mini-Clif (100 calories), and then had an electrolyte drink in my water bottles.  That's more than I typically eat, even for long runs, but for some reason I'm having a "hungry day"!  When we got home, I scarfed down my usual oatmeal with berries and almonds, and also made a chocolate-peanut butter protein smoothie that I split with Chris.  Now I feel much better.  It always feels good to get a long run done.

(I have no idea what was going on with my phone-camera.  I've never had it take such a weird picture.  Maybe it had something to do with the sun?  Anyway, you can see the long stretch of road heading towards those beautiful mountains.  I just love running here!)