21 in 3

Well, 3:04:24 but close enough.

The plan was to start at 8am, which is the MDI start time. The morning did not go quite as planned, as Snowman came downstairs complaining of foot pain and did not want to run. Well, he wanted to run, but was pissed that his foot hurt and thought this was going to be his last run ever. Ah yes, morning running with Snowman :-)

Anyway, we eventually got out the door. It was a nice slightly overcast morning. Good temps but humid. Our plan was to do two loops that went through the Bowdoin field house lot. That way we would have access to the car, extra water, gels, etc. Loop #1 was the Highland Road loop with the slight modification I made to make it 12 miles. We set out at a good pace, and headed up Pleasant Hill Road. The fields along Highland were full of purple and pink asters. The maple trees along the field edges were beginning to turn brilliant red.

As we hit Maquoit Bay, we passed a couple out walking. The man said, "Stop talking! It sounds like you're having too much fun!" Guess we fooled him :-) But seriously, I was feeling pretty good, and it was a beautiful morning. I never tire of looking out onto the bay.

The last stretch along Maquoit Road heading back into town is long and flat. It seemed to stretch on forever, but we finally were back in the parking lot at 1:47. Snowman stopped at the car to refuel. I needed to pee! As I'm sure I've mentioned in previous posts, the field house is, like the rest of Bowdoin, under construction. They are building a new hockey arena. There are lots of port-a-potties on the construction site. One was right at the edge of the parking lot, and I was in luck. Much better.

I ate a few Clif Shot Bloks and we were off. The 9 miles in Loop #2 took us down Rt. 123 and out into Pennellville. The Pennellville fields were pretty quiet, but we did get some great views of a beautiful American Kestrel. At the end of Pennell Way, we turned left and ran down to Simpson's Point. Another beautiful ocean vista. We were both feeling good, and Snowman commented that if he kept feeling good, he might try to hammer out the last few miles. I kept chugging along, and though maybe, I could even keep up! Ha! With two miles left, Snowman took the lead and he was gone. I tried my best. I was running as fast as my little legs would carry me at this point, but there was just no way I could catch him. Oh well. I'm still pretty happy with my time, which, at 8:47 a mile, seems pretty solid. Overall, a good long run that leaves me with a good feeling going into the last few weeks before the marathon. Of course, who knows if I'll be able to walk down the stairs tomorrow morning :-)