I missed yesterday due to the family trip to Oxford, so I had to run long today. It really wasn't the best day for it - the wind was ridiculous again, steady at 25 mph, gusting to 40. I started off slow and struggling with teh wind a lot. I planned on going 3+ hours, and the thought of circling around Regents Park 7 times wasn't very appealing. I decided to be adventurous and run all the way to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. I took Baker Street to get there (the same Baker street featured in Conan Doyle's works; there is Sherlock Holmes museum and statue there now). It was annoying dealing with many lights, but eventually I got to American Embassy and then Hyde Park. Ran around both parks twice, that gave me 8.6 miles. Still struggling with gusty winds. I had 2 gels with some water, first at 7 miles, and second at 13.5 miles. Thankfully, didn't have much GI trouble and made just one restroom stop. When I got back to Regents Park loop, I noticed that I was feeling pretty good and my pace was picking up. I wasn't planning on it, but I ran last 5.5 miles a lot faster than first 15.5. Even my legs weren't as tired as they usually get. It probably was from having a day off yesterday, but I'll take it! I didn't time this last section because it kind of just happened. When I finished at 21 miles, I still felt pretty good and I could have kept running, although I was, of course, tired. So it was interesting today. Total time 3:04:55 (8:48 pace). | 