Last Of The Long Runs,But Still In It For The Long Haul

W/ my taper about to kick in this coming week,dropping me from a 40 mile week toa 30 mile week there's no room for the time honoured Sunday long run untill I resume regular training post Indoor Nationals and look to go "go long" on Sunday March 29th

W/ that in mind I went into Sundays 14 miler out and back around the Art Museum Loop looking to sign off for now on w/ a  respectable time,last time out on Feb 8th off 8.37 pace I notched a 2.00.50 to be honest I wasn't thinking too much about time,speed or pace when I set off just after 9am,the first concern was just getting the run in and doing so in one piece as there were still patches of ice underfoot.
The Schuylkill River is still frozen over,as I had to hit West River Drive for the outbound leg I got to see the  otherside of the river as my two midweek 9 milers had been along Kelly Drive,the weir opposite Boathouse Row is actually flowing but everyhing else is frozen solid,however as I reached Falls Bridge which is my half way point I did notice streches of the river that weren'r frozen and further upstream from Falls Bridge also.

Maybe it was due to gettinga jump start on my run an hour earlier thn usual but I had more runners heading north towards Falls Bridge than usual,nost times on West River Drive I feel like I'm "swimming against the tide"
I reached Falls Bridge in 58.01,I was a little taken a back as 9 min mile pace would've been 63 mins on pace for a 2.06 time I didn't feel I was cranking out a terribly quick tempo but the clock doesn't lie.
Could I go 58/58 for a 1.56? that seemed like "wishful thinking" the whole point of the Sunday long run is to go easy over a longer distance,not pit myself against the clock.

Just b4 the  eight mile marker I couldn't help notice the large digital clock and three orange cones in front of it,prior to St Joe's boathouse there was a water stop table set up...turns out the annual Northeast Roadrunner club 10k was starting and finishing at Lloyd Hall,a race I ran several times over the years,it was often the season opener as we exited Winter into Spring b4 07 and I committed heart and soul to track,I passedt he leaders not long after the water station and the rest of the field as I continued my way south along Kelly Drive.
At mile elevan it began to snow,nothing too major but the flakes were big enough to notice....they helped take my mind off the numbness/tingeling in my finger tips.

Up the off ramp onto South St bridge and passed Franklin Field,roughly a mile and a half to go I was still knocking out a resonable clip,I finished in 1.58.28,my first "sub 2.00" for a solo 14 miler on my Sunday long run,8.27 mile pace,not too shabby for an easy Sunday run if I say so myself,come Spring it'll be intersting to see what I can do when it's warmer and not so icy underfoot.....but that as they say is for another day....