Long run in and around Regents Park. It was a bit warmer than last few days, and I didn't take my gloves. My hands were freezing for about 3 miles! I started at about 9:00 pace, but soon found the pace dropping without any effort on my part. After 8 miles, I thought it would be a good idea to take a gel, so I turned into the park. To my great disappointment there was a sign that public restrooms are closed today. So I kept on running, trying to figure out what to do, and at about 9.5mi. I decided to take the gel anyway, without the water. I just didn't think I could go 16mi. without bonking. I've never done that before, but I had no choice. I thought it would be a good test to see if I would get stomach problems digesting carbs without the water. Lucky for me, Squeezy gel is thin enough that you can take it without having to wash it down with liquid. To my surprise, I didn't get any problems whatsoever with my stomach. Meanwhile, my pace kept dropping, and at 12mi. I was at 8:42 avg. Then, my Garmin decided to lose the signal, and I didn't know my pace anymore. But I was running measured loops, so it was no problem. I was just curious whether I'm slowing down towards the end or not, but I felt good. When I got home, I saw that total time was 2:23:57 (8:37 pace). So I kept dropping the pace the whole way. This run is significantly faster than my previous long runs, but I think it may have something to do with low mileage this week and a day off right before. I did start feeling my knees, calves and hip flexors in the last 2mi, but it's perfectly normal on long runs. I also got significant swelling in my hands, which is a known issue for me on long runs. I assume it has to do with electrolyte (especially sodium) loss and body having to compensate. I am waiting for S-caps to arrive in the mail, and then I'll experiment with them. I think it should help taking 1 S-cap an hour on long runs and in the marathon itself. | 