14 miles -absolutely thrilling

Change is good

Keeps you on your toes
Keeps you fresh

Flexibility is a life skill

My big change-
Long run switch
From Saturday to Friday
Why?
Saturday runs were becoming
Hit and miss
Both intensity & mileage-wise

Saturday runs
Were interfering with family time

Fridays will serve better
For training

Although, as I type this
I am reminded the kids
Have next Friday off
Arggggg!
More flexibility planning...

But I digress-

Friday had me staring 14 miles in the face

I've been crazy excited for the upcoming weeks of long runs

I keep catching myself
Randomly telling unsuspecting bystanders

"My next few weeks of long run miles are 12, 14, 12, 13, 14!!!!!

Even found myself
Blurting mileage to hubby
Who gently told me
I'd already told him-
THREE times already

I text blast friends to see if
Anyone cares to join in the fun

Seems everyone is hooked up
But Tennille has a small window
Before a practice rehearsal for her
Mozart concerts Friday Night & Saturday
(happy birthday Mozart!!)

Meet at her place
We head out

It's fun to run in someone else's "territory"

They plan the route
You just follow

Been on this end of town with her before
But not the exact loop

Thought it was great to turn a corner
Recognize where we were
For a brief moment

Only to turn the corner
And everything looks new again

We run
Phone rings
I check....
Then hit silence
It could wait
We ran about 5 and 1/2
Stopped back at her house
So she could head to practice
And I could grab a drink

Looking at endomondo I notice
Our pace had been quicker than my norm
This was exciting to me
Really wanted to keep it up
Back out
I'm on my own
Down some Jelly Belly Sportz Beans
Yummy

I choose the most scenic route possible

Found this gated property
With the most amazing tree house

Picture doesn't begin to do it justice
T had mentioned this house before
It was fun to 'find' it---


I wander from cul de sac to cul de sac
This is mile 10.5
The run is getting hard

Then I recognize the road
From my first hill repeat run
Remember
The 'secret trail'?

Just had to take it

WOW- that slow hill was killer
But when I reached the top
I saw it
That trail

Took it up and over

And then

MUD!

I was shuffle walk running
Telling myself to Go go go
Hoping to keep pace steady

Slam down Municipal to make up time
Only 3 miles left now
I'm getting wobbly excited
Tired, but energized










Phone rings
I check...
It's Tennille!
I answer it
We laugh
Secrets out-
She's on the 'will answer while running'
List

Guess who's running out to meet me
To finish my miles!!!!

Ready to throw in the towel
Not wanting to run up another hill
But then a phone call kicks me back in gear

Kind-of

We're running along
I had to stop
Had to walk
We'd shuffle jog some more
I hit 13.1 and hear endomondo tell me
I'd beat my old time
One mile left - to get to 14

It's here I really re-consider
Training for an October full marathon
I'm beat

What is it about 1 silly extra mile
That tears you down to nothing?

Tennille discovers this is my first time to run 14

What?
First time to run 14?
"Well then, we're running it!" she says
She really thought I could
Made me think I could too.

I have to say
Couldn't have finished 'strong'
With out the help of a friend today

By strong- I mean,
Not walking.
You most certainly could walk next to me
As I 'ran'
I was going THAT slow
But, in my mind- that jog was an all out concerted effort.

We made it.
14 miles down.
Thrilling

Absolutely thrilling.