You’ve probably heard the saying “The best things come when you least expect them.” That’s exactly the phrase I’d use to describe my long run this past Saturday. Lately I’ve been defining my long runs with less than positive adjectives – unbearably hot, miserable, painfully hard, lacking energy. Saturday was completely different. Just when I was least expecting it, I had as close to a perfect run as I could dream up.

Mr. rUnladylike and I spent the weekend in Chicago. Weekends out of town when you’re training for a marathon and half Ironman can be challenging. I easily find myself either getting anxious about how I’ll get my needed mileage in or depressed when I’m not able to follow my schedule and fall short of my training goals. This past weekend I was focused on preventing traveling from unraveling my training (and my vacation for that matter).

I met up with the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) on Saturday at 6 a.m. at a location that was just a mile from my hotel. I’ve talked in the past about how I really believe running is a team sport. This group proved once again that runners are the coolest and most motivating people in the world, and that surrounding myself with them makes me better in every way.

So what made this run so perfect?

Consistent pacing. I decided to run with the 9:00 pace group. According to the McMillan Pacing Calculator, I should be running my long runs between 8:35 and 9:54 per mile for a 3:45 marathon training pace, with a goal to run 3:48 at the Marine Corp Marathon. I learned that the 2 pace coaches had been leading the group together for 7 years. Our group stayed together for the entire run, and our leaders kept our pace consistent. My average pace for the 16.1 miles was 9:01. Cha-ching!

Smart hydration and fueling. I felt well hydrated and fueled. CARA and local running stores set up aid stations along the running route to keep the masses of runners hydrated. Unbelievably awesome! It was like being in a race! I also sipped on Strawberry Lemonade Nuun and kept fueled on 300 calories of Sweedish Fish. I never felt low on energy or electrolytes. I hydrated a lot on Thursday and Friday too in preparation for Saturday’s run.

I was incredibly lucky with the weather. The week before I arrived in Chicago, the temperatures had been just as brutal as they’d been in Atlanta – with the thermometer reaching 100 degrees. This past weekend it cooled off a little, with a temperature of about 70 degrees at the start. While I was drenched in sweat by the time we finished, I never felt overheated or unbearably hot. Maybe I was too distracted by the scenery to let anything bother me.

It was Chicago, people! Speaking of the scenery, I must have looked like a hopeless tourist while I was running. I just couldn’t stop smiling at how awesome my surroundings were. I had Lake Michigan crashing like ocean waves on one side, with a pristine beach and beautiful running trail. On the other side I had the Chicago city skyline perfectly framing the riverfront. Plus it was completely flat. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Fabulous company. The runners in my pace group were super friendly. We chatted the whole time (yes, I ran naked – aka no iPod) and I got to hear about the races they’ve run, their goals for this year, life in Chicago and much more. I felt like I’d been running with them all season. Did I mention runners are the coolest people in the world?

For me on Saturday, my perfect run was about consistent pacing, proper fueling and hydration, ideal weather and terrain, beautiful scenery and fabulous company. I was pushing myself, but I was never uncomfortable. In other words, the stars and the moon must have come into perfect alignment. I’m going to bottle up that 16-mile run and hold on to it for the rest of the season. When I’m struggling I’m going to channel those feelings, and remember that the perfect run is out there. It doesn’t happen that often. But it does happen. Thank you, Chicago. I can’t wait to see you again soon.

Have you ever had what felt like the perfect run? What made it great? If you could run anywhere in the world, where would it be?