Week 8/17 HM Training - Run #4 22.5K (My Longest Distance to Date!)

I had a big grin on my face all day. :) :) I DID IT !! And I did it 'well' for the most part. :) Happy, happy day. :)

I find it funny (as in 'odd', not 'ha ha') how sometimes I feel intimidated and even a little overwhelmed by a certain distance. I felt this way last year about 13K (8 miles), and this year, the jump from 16K (10 miles) to 19.5K (18 miles) was stressing me a bit. However, I had no qualms about 22.5K (14 miles) (?!?!). I realize that it has little to do with the distance itself, and everything to do with how I am feeling about my running ability at that particular time. Because I conquered that 19.5K hurdle two weeks ago, I felt good about trying to run my new, longer distance this morning. It also helped that it was my LSD at the end of my best training week yet. :)

And another thing about this run ... I was actually looking forward to it . Can you believe that! Ha!

I went to Kundalini Yoga last night, and it was a great class as usual. Most of us regulars were there which makes it a more comfortable, 'in sync' environment. Although I had the option of going out for dinner last night, I declined the invite because of yoga. I missed Wednesday's class (a bummer) so I didn't want to miss this entire week. Also, with 22.5K on the brain for the last week, I knew that I needed every advantage, which includes a yoga session the night before. I am at the point now when I can feel the difference so I knew I would regret it if I didn't go.

My morning went according to plan, too. I was up early, had my breakfast and coffee, and was out the door an hour+ later with Wallace.

My BIL suggested the night before my run to break it up into chunks. I have read this so many times before on the DailyMile, in magazine articles, in online articles, etc., but having him say this to me was a good reminder to actually do it! Therefore, as I readied for my run, I made the decision to run a 10K, an 8K, and a 5K today. :) This worked very, very well for me and helped to distract me from the number of miles I had to run. I also concentrated on running steady, like a machine. Another thing that I did was change my paths. Most of the time I choose between two directions - out towards Springbank Park or out past the university to the loop at Richmond St. and back. However, today I selected the third path - toward the east side of London with the turnaround at the dog park/sewage station at Pottersburg. It's a very, very pretty path alongside the river, but it winds through some areas of town that are just not as 'nice' as the others. Not the kind of path I want to be on too early in the morning or too late at night by myself.

1 - 4 km: 7.22, 7:25, 7:21, 7:23 (~11:56/mile)

5 - 6 km; 7:05, 7:07 (~11:24/mile)

7 - 13 km; 7:14, 7:16, 7:16, 7:12, 7:15, 7:18, 7:17 (~11:40/mile)

14 km; 7:20

15 km; 7:34 (~12:12/mile)

16 - 17 km; , 7:23, 7:24

18 km; 7:37

19 - 22 km; 7:44, 7:45, 7:40, 7:42 (~12:20 - 12:28/mile)

.5 km; 7:54 (12:43/mile) ***This is when I was stopped by someone (?!?!)

I am very, very pleased. It felt good until 18K - this is when I could feel myself slowing down. When I saw my splits later, I was not surprised. The good news is that I made it to 18K before it started hitting me. In previous runs, I started feeling it just before 16K so this is an improvement in my endurance.

I did not walk at any point during this run. I ran it consistently from beginning to end. There was a quick poop scoop for Wallace, and I dropped my water bottle at one point. These were my only briefest-of-brief stops. However, at the very end of my run, in my final .5K, a woman on the path waved me down and when I stopped for her, she asked my how much Wallace runs every week (?). When I told her he would have over 60 km by the end of the week, she looked confused. I think in hindsight she meant to phrase her question in a different way. She then told me she wanted to get a dog to run with. I had stopped because I thought she needed help. but once I realized this was an awkward exchange, I smiled, told her running with a dog was great, and then took off. And yes, I was a little miffed about my pace time when I saw it after the fact!

The best part about today's run? When I looked at my 21K/13.1 time, it read 2:34:47. My half marathon time from last fall at the Niagara Falls Half Marathon? 2:37:53. A VERY cool feeling when I can beat race pace in a training run! Nothing feeds the ego more! :) And I am feeling much more confident about my goal in the fall than I have in weeks.

Best training week to date!