11/14/1999

I did the long run yesterday morning with the team -- 19 1/2 miles from the Golden Gate bridge to Tiburon and back. The conditions were fairly tough: hot weather and several hills, especially near the end of the run. Those are the kind of conditions we'll face in Honolulu, from what I've heard, so it was good experience. I ran the first 14 miles at a 9 minute pace, but then hit a major wall and ended with a 9:35 pace -- 3 hours and 7 minutes for the 19 1/2. There was a big hill coming out of Sausalito at mile 16 that almost finished me off; I thought I was going to have to stop. But I'm happy with the result. It's the farthest I've ever gone, and I ran at a faster pace than I did for the 16 mile run, in harder conditions. It makes me think that a 9 minute pace for the marathon might not be so unattainable, if I train really hard for the next few weeks.