This morning, the newly engaged Lindsey and I drove to Fletcher’s Cove where the Capital Crescent Trail and the C&O Canal meet.  The temps were perfect, and there was a light breeze.  Lindsey ran 17 miles, and I ran 11.  The trail runs alongside the towpath the entire time.  It feels so good to just run and not worry about keeping an eye on the mile markers, thanks to my Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS Watch.  It was an easy run for me, and to say 11 is easy must mean my training is right on schedule.  I took my time and didn’t care about my time.

At the end of the run, I changed shirts, put on my sandals and relaxed next to the waterfall until Lindsey got back from her run.  She did great on her time! Her foot was swelling pretty bad afterwards, so she put some ice on it on the way home, then we had lunch at Primo Italiano in Rockville Town Square.  It was the first time we’ve ate there, even though we’ve been living in the town square for more than a year.  It was very relaxing and delicious!

You can interact with the map and see results on my Garmin Connect page here.

Summary:

Location: C&O Canal, Georgetown
Conditions: Bright 60-66
Goal: 11 miles
Results: 11 miles nonstop
Time: 2:15:39
Pace: 12:20/mile
Total Training Miles to Date: 209
Click here to view my complete training schedule

Thoughts:
It’s a great feeling knowing I can run 11 miles and still feel like I can take on the day, rather than feeling so beat I can’t do anything but recover. The next few runs in the weeks ahead will be my toughest yet.

What I’ll remember most:
Almost tripping on a cobblestone-type rock on Mile 8.  The trail was all gravel with large rocks throughout, so dragging my feet or not paying attention to the surface is not advised.