This was my third attempt at running the Chehalis Western Trail from South to North. This time I'm actually in shape and not coming off of an injury, sickness, or having just raced a marathon.
This time I felt like pulling out all the stops and I wore a pair of Brooks Hyperion Elite 4. I carried 4 isogels (that were mostly sugar water) and one birthday cake GU packet. I ate at miles 4, 7, 10, 13, and 15. It was a cool morning so the isogels seemed to be enough liquid.
I didn't check my pace until two miles to go. I thought I was going to beat my old time, where I averaged a 7:15min/mile. But I was shocked when I saw I was running a 6:34min/mile. My last two miles were 6:20 and 6:22, which got me to a moving average of 6:34min/mile.
This was my last hard long run before the 2026 Boston Marathon! It certainly is a confidence boost.