a huge 'yay moment'

This weekend's long run was a HUGE yay moment...we did a 20 mile run on the marathon course, and I felt fantastic!!!

This was the first 18-20 mile run in which I did not feel like I was going to die, like my legs were going to fall off, or like I would never be able to walk again. Instead, although I was a little stiff and tired for the first 8-9 miles, I finally eased into the pace around mile 9. I never thought it could take my legs 8 miles to warm up...but maybe they are adapting to this endurance training?

The goal for the day was to run negative splits (for you non-runners, that means running the second half faster than the first). This is something I need a lot of work on. Running with Aimee and Katie, we eased through the first 10 miles and shed plenty of clothing along the the way. When we started pushing the pace on the way back, I couldn't believe how great I felt--less than a week after a hard half-marathon, and my legs felt like they actually had something in them! In fact, our last few miles were run at a sub 8:00 pace. We finished the second ten miles a full 2:30 faster than our first ten...mission accomplished!

This was a huge yay moment for a few different reasons:
1. I have never before felt good on a 17+ mile run. I nearly always want to cut my legs off at the hip somewhere around mile 16. So this was a welcome change. yay!

2. I finally ran a long run with negative splits. I am far from an experienced runner, and I tend to make the beginner's mistake of going out way too fast, then slowly losing steam. yay!

3. Katie, Aimee, and I make a good running trio. We take turns leading the pack, pushing the pace, and keeping each other entertained and motivated...especially up the Newton Hills. yay!

4. This gives me a lot of confidence for the marathon. We held a pace of about 8:18/mile, which is close to my goal pace for the marathon. yay!

5. This was the first good run I've had in over a week. YAY!

Here are some pictures from after the run, during our DFMC team breakfast in Watertown.

Katie and Aimee, and Aimee and me