Wrapped up my 6th week of marathon training today. I started at a different part of the Capital Crescent Trail today, so there was 1 1/2 miles of trail I had never seen before, including Fletcher’s Cove, located on the Potomac River and the C & O Canal National Historical Park, between Chain and Key Bridges.  Visitors mostly come there to rent canoes and fish, and most the cyclists on the trail made their stop there.

Lindsey and I got a late start on the long run today. We slept in, thinking the temperature was cooler than normal.  The past couple days have been in the upper 60s/lower 70s, but today was a bright clear day, and it ws upper 70s when we started running around 1:00pm.

As always, the run today was easy on the way out, and difficult on the way back, since the elevation is lower as you run towards DC and higher as you run back towards Maryland.  I like doing long runs on this trail because I cross state lines halfway through.  On the first half of the run, my pace was just under 11:00/mile, but coming back it was over 12:00/mile, so I averaged 12:05/mile today.  After the run, we ate at Georgetown Bagelry in Bethesda (which has a Twitter account), then showered up and ran some errands.

I spent the rest of the evening plowing through and responding to old email and catching up on everything else around the house.  I also purchased my marathon shoes through Zappos, who is the official sponsor of the Las Vegas Marathon.  They are Asics Gel-Cumulus 11‘s and are similar to the shoes I wore on my first marathon.  I usually buy my shoes at Fleet Feet, but they are so pricey in this area, I found a much better deal through Zappos.  I’ll put another 150 miles on my existing shoes before moving to these.  That way they’re nice and worn in for the marathon.

This week I really need to concentrate on my diet and exercise. I look better and feel more fit than I have in months, and I’m hoping some pounds will shed this week.  I get tempted to splurge in the late afternoon, so I need to be aware of that and just stick to my diet and drink a gallon of water to keep me feeling full (and to flush out my system).  I know it works. I’ve done it before. And I remember wishing I did strength training and had a proper diet when I trained for a marathon back in 2005.  Now’s the time to change the habits.

Summary:

Location: Capital Crescent Trail, Bethesda, MD
Conditions: Clear, 79-81
Goal: 9 miles
Results: 9 miles non-stop
Time: 1:48:47
Pace: 12:05/mile
Total Training Miles to Date: 125
Click here to view my complete training schedule

Thoughts:
A great run, and I enjoyed the new scenery.  Before long, I’m going to reach the end of this trail…then what?

What I’ll remember most:
Seeing the waterfall near Fletcher’s Cove. It sounded so relaxing, and many people stopped to view it from the bridge above.