9 Miles

Half-marathon training is trucking right along. I've really stuck to the Tue/Thur/Sat schedule, but still haven't completely stayed on track with the Monday and Friday work-outs. Mondays are supposed to be gym days, and Fridays are "easy run" days. I'm still trying not to overdo it, but I also don't want to lose the muscle tone that I've built up from my kettle bell class. I'm planning to go to the gym tomorrow for some weight training, but the rest of the week is going to be a busy one. We have our national sales meeting for work, so it's going to be tricky to fit in my run work-outs. After 3 solid weeks though, I'm feeling committed to my routine.

And that brings us to this past Saturday morning. My goal was to do an 8 mile run. I was a little nervous about it, but knew I could do it. I showed up to the annex to meet my coach, and there were two other ladies who would be running in my group. I was a little concerned about the pace, as they both looked like pretty experienced runners. And then I found out that they would be running 9 miles that morning. I knew there was no way I would knock out 8 miles by myself, so I decided to head out with them and suck it up for 9. Oh, and did I mention that it was raining? Well, it was. But I ended up finishing all 9 miles. I was tired, but felt like a champ! There was no way I could have done it by myself though, which is why I'm so thankful to be running with Gilbert's Gazelles. Let's just say I'm hooked!

We maintained a steady 10 minute mile pace, which felt comfortable, even on the hills. At the end, we spent about 45 minutes stretching, and I had fun talking to one of the other girls I had met. Even though it's an early morning, I am really enjoying this Saturday morning format! And of course, no long run is complete without a well deserved reward of coffee and breakfast tacos. Eggs and tortillas never tasted so good! My legs felt solid the rest of the day, and I slept like a baby last night. Next Saturday is a "recovery run", of which will only be 7 miles. It's funny how that is starting to sound like a shorter distance, knowing the longer miles I have ahead of me!