16 mile run

Sixteen miles today: 2 miles 8ish min pace, 6 miles 7:30 pace, 6 miles sub 7 pace, 2 miles cool down.

This was a tough one today. First 8 miles were hard to hold back. I was ready to go from the beginning. I did hold back though, and my average for those first 6 tempo miles was right on at 7:30/mile. The next six were tough. I held 6:30 -6:45 pace steady. I tried to run a mostly flat course to keep it honest. By the time the cool down came, I was more than ready to pack it in for the day.

I realized two things on this run. The first and most important is that I'm not the super strong runner I thought I was. Granted, I was running on tired legs, but at this stage of the game that isn't an excuse. Second, I'm tough. It took a lot for me to keep up the pace today, and at times I thought I would crack-but I never did. I believed in myself to the end, and never surrendered.

This workout was a great confidence booster. Although I'm not terribly fast right now, it gave me the confidence that I need in myself. Pain is tolerable. I think that's an important lesson to learn.