Eight IS Great!

As I was waking up this morning prepping for my 6.5 run, I had a revelation. Why not run 8??!!?? I am training for the Publix Georgia Half Marathon (that I might or might not be able to run in=CRAZY). Getting my double infection and being placed on antibiotics really screwed up my training schedule. I decided to skip the 6.5 and go for the 8 that I was originally planning to run late next week even though the training schedule has it set for tomorrow. I logged on to map my run to map out an 8 mile route close to home since it is supposed to rain today. Yes, I am from Seattle. No, I don't think that I'm going to melt in the rain. BUT have you ever experienced East coast rain? It is NOT like a Seattle drizzle. It pours buckets; porcupines and penguins. You can step outside for less than two minutes and come back inside looking like you took a shower fully clothed. So, mapping a run close to home would make it easy to bail if it started pouring. Thankfully it didn't.

As I started my run, I reflected on the last time I ran 8 miles. I was prepping for my half. I was scared of 8 miles, I had never ran that far before. I kept saying all week, "Eight is great!" just to pump myself up. I don't remember much about that run. I know that when I was done, I felt fabulous, like I had conquered the world! I wish that I had started this blog at the beginning of my training so I could remember exactly what I was feeling. I do know that I ran those 8 miles in 1:36:26. I remember that they were hard, but not impossible.

Today's run was fabulous! My legs were sore; I don't normally run three days in a row. I like to have a rest day before a long run, but that's how my schedule has worked out this week. My compression socks did the trick for my calves. I tried a Power Bar Energy Gel for the first time around mile 4 (I don't have a Garmin-someday!!). I really liked it. It was much easier to get down than the Cliff Shotblocks I used for my half. I had one bottle of water and one of Nuun in my fuel belt. Perfect combo of hydration and fuel. I kicked it. Today, I ran 8.33 miles in 1:26:02. I shaved ten minutes off my time! Not to mention that I ran farther. I felt on top of the world! I love that running makes me feel that way: strong, invincible and badass! When I got home, I looked at my time, checked it against the last time. I then had to re-check my route to make sure I didn't accidentally run 7 miles instead of 8 (boy a Garmin would be nice!). I couldn't believe that I had shaved 10 minutes, but I did! And it was epic.

Happy running y'all!