My long run on Saturday was 14 miles. Last week’s long run was the same distance along the same route. It just felt a lot harder the second time!

It wasn’t the weather. It was a perfect day on my second 14-miler — sunny, not too hot, not too humid. Last week was much warmer and should have been miserable, but it actually didn’t feel too bad once we got going.

I’m blaming the tough run this weekend on a lack of sleep. I was out a bit too late the night before, and didn’t get to bed until 12:30 a.m. My group meets at 6:30 a.m. Oops!

For my first 14-miler, I probably started out a bit too quick for a long run. I couldn’t keep up the pace! I was also having some trouble. My hip flexors, particularly the left, started bothering me. I’d stop and stretch at each water stop and tried to keep moving, but ultimately slowed down a lot. I also had some numbness in my left foot — I loosened my laces around mile 11 and it got better, but perhaps the Brooks Ravenna weren’t as good a fit as I thought. This was the longest I’d taken them, and it wasn’t as hot during my other long runs in them.

For my second 14-miler, I started out slower. I’m sure my lack of sleep had something to do with it, but actually it’s probably a better training pace for me.  I went back to the Nikes for this run and didn’t have any foot trouble, but the left hip was acting up again. I made it through, but it felt like I was dragging.

But actually, both runs were pretty similar at the end:

It’s interesting to compare splits. I seem to really like mile six. During the faster mile eight on the second run, I was chatting with some girls from our group. It helps to be distracted! We weren’t all maintaining the same pace, though, so I was often alone on the trail.

In the 14th mile, there’s a crosswalk across a busy road, so that explains the slow-down both times!

Overall, not bad. I’m happy with the paces, and I’d be thrilled to do either during the marathon. I just wish I wasn’t finishing in pain. (At least my knees are barely bothering me anymore. Hooray foam roller!)

It might be the shoes (oh, please be the shoes!)  … both my Brooks and Nike shoes are getting old. They should have some life left, but I tend to be hard on my shoes and retire them early, less than 250 miles. Both pairs are now over 200. I’ll continue adjusting to my Newtons and have a fresh pair of Nikes ready to go.  Hoping for the best!