Success!! Kinda.

After last week's mother nature hates runners long run FAIL. My friend Liz and I set out to attempt another long run... same place, same time.. shorter distance (13-16 was the suggested mileage).

I took great care getting dressed Saturday morning. Layering it up... I had 3 layers on top and of course a pair of my hole-y tights and running shorts. I was ready. I was ready to have a nice, easy long run.

We met and got started and at first, I felt decent... but as the run went on and on and on and on.. it was like every mile clicked by at a horrifyingly slow pace (luckily that was only in my mind... we kept a decent pace considering the hilly route). My legs were completely numb... from the cold and from just having dead legs. DEAD LEGS? There is no way in hell I should have had dead legs, since thanks to the icy sidewalks I had only managed to run two days last week.

By the time we got to mile 12, I was like.. DUDE, I gotta run/walk it in. I can't handle this... my right hip hurt, both balls of my feet hurt, I was cold, I was cranky, I was defeated and I generally wanted to give up running at that moment. So, I hobbled my ass back to my car for those last two miles, after urging Liz to continue on without me.

At the end of the day, I got 14 miles in, which is awesome. But, it wasn't fun. And it was a run that should have been fun. I was dressed properly (Although, my legs were cold), I had GREAT company, and it wasn't an insanely awful distance.

So, whats the problem?

At first I was freaking out that I've lost my running mojo (again). But after thinking more about it, I think this is always how I feel for the first few long runs. It's usually not until the next to last one or sometimes the very last one in a training period that I have an easy, effortless long run. So, I just have to suck it up and continue on. This is what training feels like. And this is why it's been so long since I've actually trained. Ick.