Surprise Marathon Morning

To say life has been crazy this spring has been an understatement.   So my running races have had to take a backseat to other commitments, like buying a house (yikes!).    And my most recent race in southern Utah got derailed to a last minute sore throat.  Double bummer.  Life is very good overall, but I need a challenge and I've missed my long runs.

So a few days later after my lost race, when I was feeling better and getting antsy, I knew I needed to get in a long run.   When I woke up at 4 in the morning on a beautiful calm day, I knew it was go time.    It only took me a few minutes to throw some snacks in a running pack and set off into the darkness.   My headlamp batteries were practically dead, so I stayed on lighted streets through Draper and Sandy, Utah.  A few hours later when it finally started to get light, I crossed over the interstate and found the Jordan River Trail, which runs for over 50 miles down the Salt Lake valley.

The trail runs along the Jordan river (duh), but it also finds some of the quietest places in a valley which is becoming more and more populated.  In short, it's a great trail for running, walking, biking and rollerblading.   I love the fact that it's close to my new house.  Along with a couple more nice running trails in Draper and Sandy, they offer great places to get out for a quick run.

So anyway, I'm having a great run along the trail, the temperature stays cool and I'm happily surprised my legs aren't hurting too much.   My route makes a pretty good circle and I'm hoping it will be at least 26.1 miles (as if somehow running a marathon is so much better than stopping at 25.7 miles or some other random distance)?!?  By late morning it's getting pretty warm and I'm still a ways from home.   Whoops.  Guess I'll be doing an ultramarathon of some sort.   At the last push on a busy road, I run out of water, cross the interstate, and know I'm close to finishing.    I end up with 28.3 miles in about 5:45...no speed records set but running in the dark down sidewalks really slows down my pace.  I don't want to do a face plant, after all!    I ran the whole way in almost-but-not-quite-barefoot shoes on pavement, and I'm pleasantly surprised to have no shin splints or other pain.   I guess I'm a reluctant convert to this whole minimalist shoe craze.   My feet do feel really light in these shoes....hope it makes me run faster, too!