#22

Ever have one of those days where you know you're just going to have a good workout? I had one of those today. After another 20 stepper minutes followed by a tricep workout yesterday, today I embarked on a long run. The weather looked to be okay when I got my shopping done in the morning, so that was another incentive. When I started running the sun was just starting to come out and the weather was a cool 14C. The goal today was mainly to see what kind of pace and distance I could cover with my Camelbak holding 500mls of water. I got to 12K in an hour and then 10 miles in 1:20 (equivalent of 8min/miles) - quite a consistent pace for me, surprisingly - and then the legs started to hurt a bit and the mind started saying "10 miles is enough today". I also got rained on a fair bit. But I kept going and eventually finished with a half-marathon time of 1:48:28. Just a minute off my PB. The last 5Ks was when I lost 3 minutes, and the chance to break the PB, but that's something to work on in the future. I wasn't really aiming to break the PB, but just to complete the half-marathon run.

I really love the 1/2M distance. I can wake up and think, "I have a bit of time today. Shall I do a long run?" and then go out and do it. Logistically, it's wonderful. No pre-race anxieties, worries about cramping or aid stations. Just fill up the Camelbak and go. It's a distance I view as fairly long but manageable, and it's not an issue of finishing one, but how fast I can do it.

Did I do something today that I wouldn't do during my normal working week? You betcha. I'm off to enjoy my recovery now - stretching while watching Alias. Bliss.