Week -16, Day 6

Schedule for Saturday, Week -16 = 8 miles.
I was a bit nervous for this run because it was my first long run of this length since the half-marathon back on Memorial Day weekend. That and my haphazard attempts at plotting routes out on Google Earth always leave me questioning whether or not my distances are super accurate. But I do my best.

Actual for Saturday, Week -16 = 7.5 miles in 1:09.
Was pretty pleased, overall. Looks like my route estimate fell slightly short of 8 miles, but that's fine. It still was a decent run, and I was back home before 10 AM to enjoy the gorgeous weather. A perfect start.

It's funny; no matter how much I run, I always find those first 30 minutes the most difficult. I feel sluggish, tired, bored. Am I hungry? Was that a pain in my knee? It's almost like my mind looks for every possible excuse to quit. I spend most of the time ignoring the voice in my head that says, "Running is good for you. I get it. But how about we just do a couple miles every day, a few long runs here and there, maybe a half-marathon or two during the year, and call that it? You don't need to run a marathon. You don't need to train."

Sometimes I want to agree with that voice. I get discouraged - I'm not fast enough, my legs aren't strong enough, I don't have enough energy...There's always an excuse. My stresses and to-do-lists consume me, and I tell myself I should stop running -far enough, go home - because there is so much else that I need to be getting done. But when it comes down to it, that's part of why training for my first marathon is so high on my to-do list: it's a challenge. It's proving to myself (and anyone else that notices, or cares to notice) that I can do something if I prepare and try hard. It's a goal, and it's something that will hopefully better me as a runner and strengthen me as an individual.

Coming up next = 3 miles.
Tomorrow will be a light mileage day, overall. I'm also going mountain biking in the morning though, so I'm still not sure whether I'll be attempting my run before that or later on in the day. We'll see, I guess. For now, I'm just tired in every way possible.