Just wow.

I really need to get better about writing these posts in real time!

That said, Saturday morning made for a GREAT run. Headed out around 8:30 to sunny skies and perfectly comfortable temps. Gotta love a warm spring morning in New England. I had planned on attempting my first long run longer than 6.5 miles, but seeing as I was supposed to be leaving for CT by 10, I decided I'd better stick to the 6.5 so that I'd still have time to shower before hopping in the car. I'm forever running late.
The first 20 minutes were the usual - shin splints and wanting to stop. I've been doing most of my runs without the IPOD; as much as the music is a welcome distraction, I think it's also a crutch. I'm trying to get away from it. I might start using it more again once I'm training with +10-mile runs, but for now, I'm trying to go as long as I can without the headphones (or Gu, for that matter). As usual, I tried to play some songs in my head to keep me distracted. Anything by Bruce Springsteen is always a good choice. I kept telling myself that, if I felt really bad, I could stop at the next loop and head home. (Definitely one of the dangers of my current long run route really being a spaghetti bowl of loops never more than 2 miles from my house. ) Still, it works every time. After 20 minutes, the shin splints fade and I feel fine. And at every corner, I keep going and tell myself that now I'll have to make it to the next corner if I want to stop. And I never actually stop. It's a pretty good system.
I ended up finishing the 6.5 miles in 1:02:48. Definitely slower than I want to be, but this was actually fast for me. I'm still pretty new to distance running, and I don't think I've ever maintained anything under a 9-minute mile for more than just that - 1 mile. A 10-minute mile used to be my standard. The first time I ran the 6.5-mile loop a month or so ago, it took me about 1:06. So to be improving and to be running that distance in under 10-minute miles made me really happy. I'm also learning that I can run with a slightly longer stride than I have been. This also helps me a bit with speed without actually affecting my form that much. I'm also getting much better at pushing myself and running through fatigue (or laziness), and I can proudly say that I always manage to have that extra burst saved up at the end to sprint out the last half or quarter mile. It's encouraging to see progress and also to see that I can push myself beyond what used to be my safety zone and see that I can handle it. A good reminder that I should always be pushing myself to run a bit faster or longer so that I can keep improving. I'd love to be able to finish that half-marathon at the end of May in 2 hours or less. I know that's dependent on a lot of things, but I think I can do it if I train hard and play my cards right. The marathon will be another story, but baby steps. Baby steps.
Sunday was a day of rest in CT with the fam. Still went for a short hike, but otherwise largely sedentary. With lots of eating. Sigh...
This week I'm on vacation, so my usual 2.7-mile morning run was around 8:15 AM. Running at that time felt much later than my usual. 6:15 AM runs = peaceful, deserted roads; sun still not fully up so everything still has that dewy glow; and I'm not fully awake yet so I never have thoughts of quitting. 8:15 AM runs = dodging car pools and frantic SUVs that are late in dropping kids off at school, getting nasty glances from the soccer mom-walking squad every time I spit on the ground, inhaling exhaust fumes from the half-dozen school buses that seem to circulate my neighborhood, and thinking the entire way around the block that I can't wait to be done. It's the shins. Every time. Still, I managed to do it in 25:20. Shocking because I thought I was moving much slower than usual (because of the everlasting numbness in my lower legs). So, all in all, pretty pleased. Not as pleasing as the 24:36 I managed one morning last week (I wish I could remember what I ate for dinner the night before that morning!), but still, I'll gladly take a pace under 9.5 min/mile right now.
I just wish the shin splints would go away.