I completed my last really long training run yesterday - 20 miles. We were lucky to get really chilly weather and only moderate winds, which made the run far more pleasant than my last really long local run that was way too hot by the last few hours. It took me just under 4 1/2 hours to complete the 20 miles, which was the time I expected it to take for the distance.
I didn't get to see any dolphins on this run (I live on the Gulf Coast and run over bridges), but I saw about 6 fish lying on the sidewalks over the duration of the run. Maybe sea birds were dropping their catches as they flew away from the water? Two rottweilers had treed a squirrel in one park, and they patiently and quietly waited at the base of the tree with their owner, all staring at the squirrel. As I passed her the second time, she said it was going to be a looooong day (for her and for the squirrel, I thought).
Near an aquarium, a little boy about 3 years old raced me at his grandfather's urging. Since my Garmin watch had just clicked over at the 14 mile mark and he's a little boy with boundless energy and fresh legs, he passed me easily but didn't want to stop running in the opposite direction of his family. They kept calling him back, but he kept running past me until I asked him how fast he could run back to his mom and he turned around.
The next two weekends, I only have to do 7 mile long runs, and I'm looking forward to the taper! It's also exciting to think of running through all four parks and seeing what surprises RunDisney has in store for us!
