going bananas - the results + ultra-half marathon

Sunday mornings = long run days. Today, I ran 14 miles through some crazy dense fog - it was lovely.  I've decided that any run over 13.1 miles and under 26.2 miles will now be called an ultra half marathon...just because that sounds pretty bad ass, right? "Hey Kier - what did you do today?" "Meh, not too much, just ran me an ultra half-marathon this morning." :)  I like it.

The point of long runs during marathon training is not to run as fast as you can, rather to get used to running for long stretches of time. So this morning, I was making a conscious effort to slow down.  They say you should run your long runs about 1 minute to 90 seconds slower than your race pace, which would be at 9:27-10 minute miles for me.  I tried really hard to slow down...but ultimately failed.

Splits:

mile 1 - 9:26       mile 2 - 9:00

mile 3 - 8:51       mile 4 - 8:48

mile 5 - 8:49       mile 6 - 8:41

mile 7 - 8:43       mile 8 - 8:29

mile 9 - 8:18       mile 10 - 8:06

mile 11 - 7:58     mile 12 - 8:25

mile 13 - 8:17     mile 14 - 8:21

Total distance: 14.01 miles

Total time: 2:00:15

Average pace: 8:35

Came home to my current favorite post-run snack - watermelon.

Ahh yes, a whole watermelon!  I've been working on that since Thursday and have to finish it before I leave tomorrow!  Watermelon plus laptop, coffee, and Nic making me breakfast = beautiful Sunday morning!

Going Bananas - The Results!
All three banana items I made yesterday were a success!  I would make all of them again - in a few months when we are done eating all of this round!

Banana Oatmeal Scones Turned Muffins -



Basic muffin, but great with nut butter smeared on top. Great snack to grab as you are running out the door.

Low-Fat Oatmeal Banana Bread with Coconut and Cranberries -



A dense banana bread that does not taste low-fat at all! Love the addition of coconut and cranberries!



Very Blueberry Muffins Turned Bread -



Dense, pound cake-like texture, dotted with the freshest blueberries. Heaven on a plate.  Would be delicious turned into french toast, if we have any left.





I for sure indulged in too many slices of each of these yesterday - but I had to taste them all so I could share the results, right?!  A few slices with some almond butter also made for a great pre-run breakfast!

Lots to do today - including packing for my trip to Minnesota!  I fly out tomorrow afternoon - and my week + of birthday festivities will continue in the Great North! :)