Week 2 - Long Run

Today's run almost was a disaster. The temperatures here are in the 50s (though the normal temps should be in 20s) so I headed outdoors again for this week's long run. I went out to the Towpath Trail, my usual spot, and felt good about running. At least, that is, until I actually started running. The first mile was rough, to say the least. Although it had been a few days since we had snow, apparently most of it had not melted out there until very recently because most of the trail was full of puddles. So most of my running had to be done on the edge of the trail, or off to the side in the grass. And during that first mile, my legs felt heavy and my lungs were screaming. And I wasn't even going that fast! My first mile took almost 9 minutes, and I briefly considered stopping given the trail conditions and my physical condition.

Alas, I kept going and toughed it out. And it was a good thing, because my body seemed to quickly stop resisting what I was trying to do, and my tempo magically picked up. After 3 miles, I was at an 8:23/mi pace. I hit the turnaround point at 6 miles, at 50:58, an 8:30/mi pace. My legs started getting a bit tired during the last few miles, but I made it through and my second half pace was slightly slower, as I finished the 12 miles in a total of 1:43:32, an 8:37/mi pace. Not too bad. I'm also glad that my blister problem seems to have subsided as I did not feel any issues when running. So week two is done. Fourteen more to go.

Weekly Total: 23 miles
Yearly Total: 67 miles