A lot of the really fast runners do this distance every week. And I've been awe-struck by them, thinking I couldn't do that.
And this time last year I couldn't. I was running 3 and 4 miles three times a week. I didn't do my first 5 mile run until the end of October 2016.
But gradually, gradually, I started upping my distances. 6 miles got easier. 8 milers got doable. And then last week I ran 9 miles. And I felt like I could run 10. So this week was it.
And it didn't go according to plan. My favorite long run spot was damaged by a tropical storm that passed through. I spent hours Friday figuring out where I'd run: try the storm damaged trail and see how bad it is, try another trail that was less damaged, or do hamster loops at my usual lower distance spot.
In the end I opted for the IM Fields, where I run a few times a week. I decided to do 3-mile loops. It's close to my house and there's water and bathrooms. (Matt did 10 miles with the Fleet Feet AthHalf training group, and he had a GREAT run. I'm afraid to run on pavement, so I ran on trails.)
The goal was to run 10 miles. Time was not important. I was running for endurance, not speed.
I parked my car, and started by running downhill.
I did the first loop and at 3 miles was near my car, so stopped briefly for water. I took a few sips and started my second 3-mile loop. I got water after this loop too. (I used to think I was so tough for running without water, but even stopping for 20 seconds for a few sips of water makes me feel so much better. I have better long runs with water.) I had thought that for the last loop, I'd run the parts of the trail I hadn't run yet. But the loop wasn't that bad, so I kept the loop pretty similar to previous ones.
And I never walked. Or even felt like I needed to. Boredom was the worst part. I would have loved someone to run with. I had music. I was counting down miles by the 10th.
And it was done. I ran 10 miles. The longest I'd ever run. I took my time stretching. I tried to get a picture of me running for social, but did a terrible job and couldn't post those pictures. I came home, and when I got out of my car, my ankles were STIFF.
Probably too many tree roots. So I put on compression socks and rolled.
I thought a 10-miler would be worse. That I would be dead all day. That I'd be sore. That it would hurt. (But the ankles were the worst, and it wasn't too bad).
It was fine. I felt like I could DEFINITELY do the AthHalf that's 5 weeks away. Which is a scary thought because I've been so indecisive about it. I was waffling and then I decided no. And now I'm thinking about it again. I think I could do it, but I might not be happy with myself if I didn't have a good time. And I've been training for a 5k, not 4x that. I can't get enough speed training in during the next 5 weeks to make it happen.
So I'll be happy with my newfound endurance.
I'm super happy I can run this far. That my body can do it. (Though I'm trying to not overtrain, so I don't get burned out like I did in July.)
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