Fantastic run!!!

I had the best run today! I think it may go down as one of the best runs ever. After being in a deep freeze all winter, we finally had some warm, sunny weather. And thank goodness, too, because today I had 13 miles on the schedule. For this run, I decided to do a point-to-point run - I'd run from my house to my friend V's house in Chicoutimi-Nord. This was the first time I'd ever done a "destination run" and it made such a difference in my motivation.

Initially, I had decided to wear a jacket with a long-sleeved shirt. Then, as I was waiting outside for my Garmin to warm up, I realized I was going to be way too warm. So I changed my long-sleeved shirt for a short-sleeved  one. Still too hot. I ended up running in crops and a T-shirt with arm warmers. It was perfect!

I didn't realize it at the time, but the route to my friend's house had a very gradual downhill for the first 7or so miles from the base to downtown Chicoutimi. Maybe that's why it seemed so easy! After that, there was a quad-killing 14%-grade hill down into the river valley. Along the waterfront, it was windy and chilly but not unbearable. The hardest part was dodging the puddles and pedestrians. Speaking of pedestrians, you almost never see people walking here, yet today they were EVERYWHERE. For the most part, it wasn't too bad but there were a couple people that refused to move over (even though they could have) and as a result, I was forced into a snowbank or puddle. Thanks guys. I now have cuts on my calves from the icy snowbanks.

After I crossed the river, that's when the fun began. It was mile 12 and I had to climb back out of the river valley. I knew the hills were coming (2 short and steep, 1 long and slow), but they ended up not being as bad as I envisioned. I told myself, "You are strong. You can do this!" And I did!

After 13.1 miles and 2 hours, 24 minutes, I arrived at my friend's house. The best part was that I felt like I could have kept going - I was tired but not dead. This bodes extremely well for my 30k race next weekend! I hung out at V's house for a bit before calling my husband to come pick me up; she didn't seem to mind that I was gross and stinky. She even lent me a pair of socks because mine were all wet and muddy. She's awesome!
You can see my splits for this run here.
Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!