some wrong choices

the weather was perfect again today for my long run.  it was sunny, slightly breezy, with temperatures around 60 degrees.  the only problem was that I ate a huge cheeseburger from Burger 21 about 2 hours before my run. not exactly the best pre-run fuel.  definitely better post-run. 

other problems included:

• carrying 1/2 full 16.9 water bottle (I never carry water with me)
• bringing a gel that was basically unopenable during run (had to rely on gummi bears for fuel)
• wearing a short sleeve tech shirt instead of a tank top (part of my route was in direct sunlight for multiple miles and I got hot)

mentally it was a tough run.  I wasn't really excited to run 12 miles and had been dreading it all weekend.  I finally made myself get outside while Mason napped.  I wanted to run in under 2 hours and was giving myself plenty of cushion to take longer than needed.  

mile 1  8:20
mile 2  8:20
mile 3  8:24
mile 4  8:34
mile 5  8:33
mile 6  8:19
mile 7  8:40
mile 8  8:50
mile 9   8:31
mile 10  8:49
mile 11  9:25 (walked for 2 minutes at 1:28:00)
mile 12  8:55
12.25 miles in 1 hour 46 minutes

one of the highlights of the run was a new route I had created.  the first and last 2.75 miles were the same as my usual 10 mile route, but the core of the run was in a "new to me" area of South Charlotte.  having a change of scenery helped break up the monotony of such a long run.

with a month until the half marathon, I'm not really sure how much higher in mileage I'll run.  thoughts of running a 15 miler danced around my head but that may have been the result of dehydration induced delusions.