Almost October

As the last days of September expire, I'm wondering what happened to August. There's a tangible bite in the air of late signaling the arrival of yet another winter in Ohio. Running has been really comfortable albeit a little tricky to prepare for. I went outside Saturday morning and was shivering. It was probably 60° but I'm a baby when it comes to anything less than 75°. For my 20-miler, I wore a tight short-sleeved compression top with a light long-sleeved running shirt over it. About 3 miles in I was pulling my sleeves up and by 5 miles I had stripped off the long-sleeved top completely. The sun broke through the clouds at the 15-mile mark at which time I ditched the compression top and was all but naked. I can't believe how much heat I generate when I run. The pleasant weather made for a good run and I felt a lot better during this 20-miler than I did on my last. The last few miles were a little tough but my pace never fell off. I didn't have the opportunity to drink as much as I would have liked and I'm now convinced I should take one GU every 4-5 miles, starting 4 miles in. My breathing became a little more labored at 18 miles, which is a sure sign my muscles need more oxygen to keep going. I don't think I'm in as good of shape as I was last year at this point. I do, however, think I'm a little smarter when it comes to race strategy. Perhaps that's the main reason so many runners/triathletes don't peak until they're in their 30's (or later).