Last Long Run

Are you looking for a way to speed up time? Ummm... train for a race. 16 weeks is gone in a flash. Crazy.

So, this weekend was my last LONG run before my big races on October 1 and October 9th. There was a group training run on the schedule and I was ready and out the door at 5:15 to meet up with the group.

I was hoping for a cooler morning, because I wanted to test out a pair of capris (that I've never ran a long distance in), but of course it was 64 degrees at 5am (what happened to the 50 temps in the mornings???), so I wore shorts and a short sleeve (and was wishing I had worn sleeveless, it got hot and sunny).

We started the run and about 2 miles in a group of girls came up behind me and one girl leaned into me a little and said "Amy?" I looked over and it was my friend Mary who was on my relay team both years. It was great to see her and we ended up sticking together for the rest of the run.

It was great to run with her... we had a ton to talk about... and even though neither of us cared about our time (so there was no pressure there), we ended up running sub 10 minute miles until mile 18 when I got a side stitch (WTF?) and had to walk for a couple of minutes.

I'm not going to lie... this run wasn't all rainbows and unicorns. It was tough... when we hit mile 20 all I wanted to do was quit... but we kept on and we got it done.

In a way, I feel like this is some of the best training I've done for a race in a long time. Training with someone else who is running their first marathon has been good for me. I know I can do the distance. So, long runs aren't that vital to me and occasionally I'll skip one or two (or all). But this time around I've done them all and I feel good about where I am and where I'll go the rest of this fall.

This upcoming weekend I should probably hit the trails (ummm... yeah, haven't done any of that since June... oops!) and then just start to get psyched up for my two big races coming up!

Two months ago October seemed so far away...