What’s your favorite thing about Saturdays?
Mine is my long run. I absolutely love long run days. I love them for multiple reasons: I love the feeling of accomplishment. I adore the time that I get to spend with my running friends.
I love running group friends
(this wasn’t taken today)
also not today
I love the social hour after we finish our long runs. I love stopping at Dunkin Donuts on my way home and ordering a medium iced caramel latte lite & a veggie flat bread.
When I woke up this morning my hamstrings were feeling tight, but not as tight as they were Friday night. I decided that I would go to the park and attempt my long run. I told myself that if at any point during my run, I thought I couldn’t keep going, then I would stop.
The first 4.5 miles were a little rough. It was pretty hot & humid this morning. (What the heck February!) My legs felt off, and I was just uncomfortable. It was so sticky.
We stopped at the regular water stops 2.X & 4.X – I took a powerbar gel at 4.X and continued out w/ the group that was doing 10.
I don’t know what happened, but somewhere in the 5th mile I guess I started feeling good. The group was keeping a much quicker pace than I had originally planned on running, but once I was feeling good so I just tried to hang.
At mile 7.X we were doing a sub 8 pace. I was pretty surprised, and thought maybe my watch wasn’t working correctly. Then Melanie mentioned that we were doing sub 8, so I knew it wasn’t just me.
We hit the last water stop at 7.X and I tried to stick with the faster group (Jackie [hi jackie], David, & Claude). They were dropping sub 8’s like it was nothing. – I was feeling okay. I usually bring music on long runs, but I rarely listen to it. Today I decided I was going to need it if I planned on maintaining that sub 8 pace for the next few miles.
Those last 4 miles shock the heck out of me. I was looking at my watch for the entire last mile thinking, “really? Am I really doing this? Are my last 4 miles really sub 8?”
I have to admit that I am really starting to look forward to next weekends half-marathon. I’m going to try to stay relaxed about it this week. I’m not going to look @ the weather, and I’m not going to make any plans. I’ll decide on Sunday what my plan is. No sense in getting worked up over it until then.
Did you race Saturday?
Race on Sunday?
How did you do?
Long run? How was that?
Life is Beachy Keen 
That is an awesome run…the numbers look great and it sounds like quite the confidence booster! And those aren’t just sub-8’s…those are getting awfully close to 7:30’s! So in my book that is pretty amazing!
I ran 11 miles today…after slacking off most of the week. And with all the snow I ran inside around a track! And it all turned out quite well! I survived and it didn’t seem nearly as horrible as I anticipated thanks to my running buddy!
Awesome run Jena! Pretty fan- tabulous. 🙂 I have a feeling you’re ready to run a great 1/2 in the near future. I did race Saturday, and I was thrilled to set a 5K PR. I sandwiched the race in between enough miles to run 8.5 for the day & let myself rest on Sunday. 🙂
Very impressive run Jena! Each week is getting better by leaps and bounds. Can’t wait to hear about your race next week. Goodluck!
Awesome pace. I think with a little more speedwork that you can put down 7:xx’s like it isnt nothing.