Start time: 2/25/12, 7:00am
Location: National Mall, Penn Quarter, Shaw, U Street, Mass Ave, Capitol Hill, RFK Stadium, Nationals Park, Waterfront, Rock Creek Park, Georgetown, Cap Crescent…
Distance: 23 miles
Average pace: 11:16min/mile
Total Miles For February: 99 miles
Total Miles For 2012: 183 miles
Current Shoes: 216 miles

Last long run before the race. John ran the first 13 or so miles with me and Ben, then we dropped him off at the starting point and hacked out the rest, or at least that was the plan. All we had to deal with was a sudden series of heavy flurries of snow, and then 25-30mph headwinds. Oof.

Ben’s last long run had been 18 miles, so while we were doing the last 10-mile stretch (which would’ve been 5-out-and-then-back), he asked if we could turn around a mile earlier, so he’d only be jumping to 21 miles. Sounded more than reasonable to me, so we did just that and my plan was to run the last two on my own. I’d been having some stomach/internal problems at the start of the run in the morning, and they’d returned around mile 17 so I was having serious doubts about finishing the run myself.

Once we got back (21 miles in), though, I walked a quarter mile, my stomach settled down, and I finished up the run. Well, rather, first I tripped and fell at mile 22.5, then I finished the run. One small scrape on an arm, and what feels like a bruise on a thigh, but otherwise everything appears to be in working order despite my wipeout.

Not my most graceful long run—ok, it was agony for a lot—but it’s done.

Hmmm. Perhaps it would be worth getting new shoes before the marathon.