Long run before work!

Got up a bit early this morning (before Betsy or COLE were up yet!) and got my stuff together and out of the house before 6:30. I headed over to Belle Haven Park and got started running around 7am. For the first time ever, I used a 5 hr energy drink and it seems to have worked quite well, with the entire 18 mile run going by without anything close to bonking (of course I am sure the gels and sports beans had something to do with that as well). Got started running north on the trail, heading up under 495 out into Old Town, running along the Potomac until I got to Slater Ave, where I turned around, heading south back to the start. Did find out that that they have all the water to the bubblers cut off though, so I had to rework my running plan to incorporate hitting back to the parking lot regularly to get some water stops in. So any way, I got back around mile 8 took some water and dropped off my gloves and hat and sunglasses and continued south to just past the 5 mile mark then headed back to the car again. I should mention that during all this time, the wind was continually picking up hitting me pretty hard initially on the return from Old Town before my first water break. After getting some water at mile 14, I continued north back into Old Town to finish off my planned 19 mile run. I know, I finished 18, not 19, so what happened. Well when I turned around in Old Town to head back, I figured I would hit back at the car for mile 18, where I could take in some water and some sports beans before knocking out the last mile, but the return trip was where the wind got brutal. It was strong enough that I actually had to brace myself against it and lean into it to keep my run going properly. This knocked out my rhythm and I think the change in stride cause me to begin to hurt my hip. By the time I got back after finishing mile 18, my hip was flaming in pain and I figured it was better to have finished 18 miles strong, than to have pushed that last mile and either done some damage or finished miserable. Either way, I finished 18 miles in PR time, 2:32:17 or in a 8:32 min/mile pace and never loseing pace beyond 8:42! I finished miles in 8:28, 8:48, 8:33, 8:14, 8:26, 8:16, 8:40, 8:28, 8:32, 8:31, 8:29, 8:20, 8:31, 8:29, 8:20, 8:14, 8:20, 8:25, 8:22, 8:42, and 8:35 min/mile.