PR!

Wow, this morning is exactly what I needed to pump me up for the race ... a 13-mile run in 2 1/2 hours ... a new personal record for me. Okay, actually, this is the first time I've run the entire distance and I sent a pretty good bar for myself to work off of for the next 7 weeks until the race. I tried a run-walk pattern that Coach suggested - run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute. It's designed to give your body a chance to recover while running, allowing you to feel stronger and have more energy later in the race. I've been walking a bit during my runs anyways so this plan worked great - especially since it was a consistent time and I was able to pace myself much better. I felt SO great during my run, well I guess as good as you can feel during a 13-mile run. I didn't get tired as often as i normally do and my feet even felt good at the end of the run. Yes, I was so pumped up and feeling good that when I was on the last mile and could see my "finish line", I got excited and sprinted .. maybe not the best idea but it felt great to finish strong! I finished the miles in almost exactly 2 1/2 hours - under a 12-minute mile, which is well under my goal pace, so I'm excited. I got a whole new burst of energy and excitement and know that my body can do it - I can make it through a long run and feel good, my body CAN handle it (despite the times that I don't think it can), and I can still walk (a little bit) afterwards. Ben (one of the mentor's) suggested that I could do a full marathon but we'll just cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I'm going to enjoy the excitement of 13 miles and work on improving my time and my feelings between now and race day!

Oh, and PS - Coach started off the day saying we were going to run to Manitou Springs on the first leg of the run. Not many of you know where that is, but it's the town to the south of Colorado Springs that's I LOVE but hardly ever go to because it's a bit of a drive from my house (30 minutes or so). Sure, we were already way down south in town and it was only a 3-mile run to Manitou but I sure did start off the day thinking that I was going to run a long ways, and I did.

Today's Miles: 14.0
Total Miles: 161.5