Philadelphia

Morning 2 in Philly feels much better than morning 1. I arrived late Tuesday evening and Charles and I went to a local pub to drink Rogue and wax philosophic. 2 hours, many beers and a long conversation on everything from my Appalachian Trail bid, to fatherhood, to the apocalypse later, we literally had to stumble home and pass out. Yeah, yesterday morning was a bit rough but I still managed to be out of the house by 11 and get some coffee and a very necessary bagel. I spent the morning wandering Philly and found a nice little place to get my haircut, which was another vital piece of the mission. Finally by 3:30, I was feeling good enough to take a ran so I went by the Art Museum and up the river to Falls Bridge about an hour, hour and a half. Uhh-oh, I hear baby's awake! Gotta go and deal with the Zoey... YES

First Long Run in a While!

Sunday was fantastic. I met up with my training partner (ie- Roommate and best friend) planning on doing a nice early long run... We didn't end up getting out the door until around 9:15, oops, but I had my fuelbelt filled so I wasn't too worried. 

Nutritional Load for Run (estimated 17 miles, 85 deg. F high)

Pre-run - Extra-Large Bowl of Plain Oatmeal w/ Craisins est. 600 Cal

Fuel Belt - 16 oz water, 16 oz Orange G2 (for 50 cal) 2x Gu (Vanilla and Triberry 110 cal each)

Route - Left our apartment and ran down to Smith Street towards the Manhattan Bridge, averaging around a 8 min/mile. The bridge was fantastic and offers a great view of the East River and downtown Manhattan. Once in Manhattan, we curved around back towards the South Street Sea Port and down around the southern tip of the island. We got onto the West Side highway and took in our first gus. On the Hudson park route we stepped up to around 7:30 min/mile and cruised while taking in the view (lovely ladies, what I can I say). At this point Reed was really flagging (he was 'too cool' to wear my spare fuel belt) and getting crispy (Irish people in the sun are like metal in a microwave). A turn around at the Javits Center marked mile 8,  then a stop at mile 10 for water & gu. 

After a long spin around Battery Park and the Seaport we returned via the Brooklyn Bridge and here is where replenishment became evident. Once the sun and incline of the bridge hit I was really able to open the gap, pulling around a 6:30 mile while Reed, who didn't have any water or G2, slowed up to around an 11. By the time we were back in Brooklyn I was feeling better than I had all day while Reed was hurting badly. After about 10 minutes of light jogging we had to walk the last mile back to the apartment out of fear of heat stroke. We made it, but in vastly different conditions. I took a quick shower and headed out to do some laundry while Reed spent his time lying on the floor chugging literally about a gallon of gatorade. 

There's a lesson here children - get your replacement drinks early, and constantly. Just 16 oz of Gatorade was enough to keep my chugging along the whole time (plus about 32 oz water) where as Reed's intake of 16 oz water left him wasted. 

I had a quick 4 miles last night, about 5:50 min/mile and felt great, my ITBS is starting be behind me. Stay tuned for some fun updates over the next few days from Philly and New Hampshire! woo!