Yay!

So yesterday was scheduled for my long run. I was supposed to go 8 miles, with the previous week last Sunday being 6. The six mile run was horrible. It really hurt and took everything I had to finish.

So-attempting to avoid a repeat experience, I set up my Gymboss timing thingy the night before with a run 2:30 minute/ walk 1 minute interval, added a couple of books on tape to my IPOD, got my running vest outfitted with water and jellybeans and picked out my favorite outfit. I planned to go to bed at 10:00, sleep all night, get up at 6:00 and RUN! Instead, I laid awake until 2:30 a.m., and when the alarm rang at 6:00, I felt like death.

At 6:56 I left the house, determined to follow the intervals exactly, while trying to maintain a pace that felt slower than my normal 12 minute miles. (I have a Garmin and can NEVER figure out how to set it up. So never mind.)

I enjoyed the rising sun, the path along the water and the cool (63 degree) air. After 30 minutes, I grabbed 5 jelly beans and a swig of water and kept going. At the turn-around place (a big wooded public park set in Lake Superior), I was feeling really good- my breathing was rhythmic and unforced, my legs still felt strong… so I decided to go AROUND the park instead of just near it. At what I figured to be the 7 mile mark, I had two choices to take to go home and, still feeling pretty good, chose the longer route. I live on the top of a hill, and two blocks from the finish, finally had to stop for a few seconds to breathe, but determined to end strong, kept going until my front steps.

I traced the route on Map My Run.com and surprisingly, had gone 9.48 miles in 1 hour, 56 minutes. WOOT! My body felt good! If I had known I was so close, I would have run the addition .52 miles just to say I did it. I did fall asleep at 8:00 last night after two glasses of wine, so I *might* have been a little dehydrated and tired, but all-in-all, what a difference a week (and good pacing and rest) makes!

This morning, I woke up expecting to hobble and again, was pretty much pain free. So surprised!