The amazing impact of a focused diet

After only 1 1/2 weeks of following a prescribed diet, I blew myself away with the results of my long run yesterday (16 miles).

I was afraid of it…3 hrs were scheduled with a 9:30-10:30min /mile race pace.
I knew that this would be my longest run before the marathon (3 weeks away).
I wanted to start early but I knew it was going to be cold outside.
I didn’t want to run in a gym …boring …..(treadmill typically has 30 min limits anyway)
I was unsure of how I would have access to sufficient nutrition if I ran from home. Or access to a bathroom if needed. I chose the parking lot of the local run shop. I left an extra bottle with my nutrition- 300 calories of tailwind endurance in my car. One running bottle and one bike bottle.
I ate about 1h30min prior to going out to run – oatmeal & fresh berries, coffee with MCT oil
I didn’t believe that I could sustain 10/mile .. I assumed it would be more 12/mile. my goal was to just run the entire 3 hrs as prescribed and worry less about the pace.
I didn’t look at the miles during the run, instead, I set my watch to display pace, time and cadence. mileage didn’t really matter, I need to just endure for extended periods of time.
I checked the miles at 1 hr then again at 2 hrs and felt perfectly fine.
I also was concerned about my right foot because it hasn’t fully healed in 3 weeks. The tendons are still tender to the touch.
I ran 15.8miles in 3 hrs. I didn’t run out of energy (bonk), but I was tired. My legs were tired. Mostly the hip flexors.
Today was definitely a confidence booster. I know it’s 10 miles short of a marathon.