Friday, October 28, 2011

New Long - 10 miles

I ran 10 miles in 1:49:49 this morning. That's a 10:54/miles average. I set out to try for 11:00/mile so it was nice to stay below that. I had been preparing myself this entire week because my last attempt at a long run came up short. I made sure to watch what I was eating. A few days of heavy foods quickly turns to bloating on my runs. No bueno.

Lucky me, it rained the night before, so it was damp and windy when I took off. I still hadn't purchased any proper cold weather gear, so I was kicking myself as I'd be along two lakes most of the time. I was following the route of an upcoming race. I had on a pair of dri-fit capris, a sports top, dri-fit shirt and a long-sleeve cotton shirt I got from a previous race.

Despite being cold and a little uncomfortable mainly because of my clothing, the first five mile lap went well. I stopped at my car to shed my now soaked long sleeve shirt and grab a bottle of water. Since it was the middle of the day, I didn't encounter many people, also a plus.

There was also only one small side stitch, which was my downfall, among other things, with my previous attempt. I think I was also a bit scared to try. That makes me mad at myself because finishing a long run really is exhilarating. I'm breaking through a wall. A year ago, you couldn't tell me that I would have been able to run 10 miles, but there I was.

I still need to do better on the fueling. I don't even have a water belt and haven't tried any type of gels or chews. I think I'll need to do that before I attempt to go past 10 miles.

When I got home and iced my legs, I went ahead and registered for said 10-mile race.
I did it once, I can do it again.