First real long run

As you might guess from the title of the post, we did our first real "long run" of the pre-training season. What do I mean by "real"? Why am I using so many "quotes"?

Today's run was just 7 miles, one more than the previous long runs of our pre-training prep. However, the difference was that we approached this run like a long run instead of just another run. We didn't drink last night, we hydrated, and we got up early (well, 7 is pretty early) much like we'll have to once the summer comes. Plus, today was 7 miles instead of the 6 and 7 is the magic milage where it actually seems significant.

We did today's run fairly quickly (8:46 pace with last mile at 8:12) and, as a result, I'm pretty exhausted right now (can you tell? I can). It was quite a bit warmer than we've gotten used to - which I'm totally cool with - and so by the end I was totally parched. I had all that thirsty goo all over my lips which is how I know I was panting much like a dog. More water!

So far, we've been doing all our runs at about the same pace which will have to change eventually. Check back soon for marathon training analysis from Coach Leah.