20

i had one of my best 20-milers this morning. i had some foot pain (right foot, outside edge) that started around 2 hours and didn't subside much but otherwise i felt great.

i wanted to try to get in my gu's earlier than usual to see how that would work out for me. usually have one at 7 miles, then maybe 15, then usually i end up skipping the last one.

today i had gu #1 at 5.2 miles, #2 at 10.3, miles, and #3 at 16.2 miles. it went great! the last one took some convincing but i just pounded it down quickly.

the weather was great, that no doubt helped the situation. i also chose a fairly flat route (went around all the lakes about twice plus to and from my house). good confidence builder nonetheless.

there were tons of runners out training. couple hundred i bet. i am fairly certain i saw chad out there several times.

it was a great morning!

now i must go shower up and pick up my new wheels!

in the end i went with the car that started at the top of my list from the very beginning. '08 acura TL with navigation.
MSRP: about $36k
Invoice: about $34k
my price: about $31,750.
no money down. first payment plus tabs, and a $75 doc fee due (around 1,600).
monthly payment before taxes: about $419.
i will miss my audi no doubt. but i have a mortgage now, so i can't be too crazy with my car payment anymore! i am excited about the navigation thing.

the line represents the cumulative pace (right axis). i was kind of shooting for about 9:30's so i came up pretty close in the end. i didn't really start to feel good until about mile 8...it has been taking me longer to shake off the cobwebs lately. i only hit the pause button once when i had to make a quick restroom stop, otherwise it was running time the whole way. the 10 minute/mi. spikes are where my foot pain really flared up.

have a good weekend everybody!