This week has been a great running week for me! My calendar has 5 “X’s” on it, and 4 of those are runs. After a 5.2-miler on the treadmill the other day, I set out this morning determined to hit 6 miles before work. The Chains of Love 15K is in less than one month, and I know I need to run at least a few solid 7-8 milers before I attempt more than 9 miles on race day.

So, I set out this morning with my still-sore legs. If there is one thing I’ve learned during my brief running career, it’s that the first couple miles can be the absolute worst. My legs weren’t feeling too great and my breathing wasn’t all that great either. But, I kept chugging along, slowing down when I needed to and speeding up when I felt good enough.

I brought a GU power gel along too, just to give me an extra boost of energy around mile 4. My route today included a bit of everything. There was sidewalk running, beach running, stair climbing… the works. I used the GPS on my phone to keep track of my mileage and literally ran in circles for the last .2 miles, just to get that final distance number up to 6!

It was a slow, steady run but there were definitely times I wanted to stop and walk. I think that’s what I’m most proud of on long runs like today’s, not the fact that I physically completed the mileage, but the fact that I kept the mental toughness necessary to do so. Maybe next week I’ll be blogging about a solid seven… stay tuned! Here are my stats from today:

Distance: 6.000 mi

Time: 1 hour 11 minutes

Average pace: 11:53/mi.

Calories burned: 673