8 MILE LONG RUN

So I took yesterday off, as we had company (hubby’s two college buddies with their wives and children) on Saturday, immediately after my race. We spent the whole day at our club swimming and then had a great meal at one of our favorite Italian restaurants. All the kids, including ours (5 girls total) are basically the same age (range from 5-8 years old). They really had a blast and all played SO well together and so did the parents:) I really enjoy getting together with this crowd:)!!!

So today’s run schedule called for an 8 mile long run. To date, I haven’t been real good about following my half marathon plan. Not sure if it is all the races I’ve had (which are now finished until September, except for next week, when I will run with my hubby:), or having the kids around more as it is summer vacation, or what, but my “ME” time is definitely limited:( But I did my best to start the week off right by getting the kids ready for camp/school, and also getting MYSELF ready to run as soon as I dropped them off. I got them off at 9ish, and I was out the door at 9:15. I know, not the best time of day to start a long run in this humidity, but you gotta do, what ya gotta do:) It was hot, but not that bad, and I completed the 8 miles.

I did something different today during my run. Usually I wear my fuel belt, which I LOVE!!! But the one thing I hate about it is, when the water gets warm, it tastes disgusting; like plastic. So, since I didn’t have a chance to freeze the water bottles that go with the fuel belt, like I usually do, I decided to run with a 20 oz bottle of G2, filled to the rim with ice cubes. I held the bottle during the run, which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. At about the 4 mile mark, all the ice had melted and I had drunk the whole thing. So since my 4 mile mark, was right near my house, I shot up the hill to the house and refilled the bottle with G2 and ice to the rim again, and went out for the last 4 miles. So, I ran 8 miles total with about a 4-5 minute break between miles 4 and 5. The run felt really good. I could feel my left calf, but nothing hurt, and I only felt it on the hills going up. The humidity didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would, and at about the 3 mile mark I noticed a slight breeze so maybe the humidity was breaking??? It was still hot, but not unbareable. I kept the pace to an average of about 11:15/mile, and the HR never went over 139, so I was very pleased.

I definitely started the week off strong. Still can’t believe I have that doubles tennis tournament next weekend, but it will be over soon!!! Just wondering if I should try to play this week, or just wait and play on Saturday. I don’t want to tweak any muscles, and I most definitely want to get through this tournament with NO injuries. I still feel SO stupid for agreeing back in March to play in this thing. What was I thinking????? I’m on a mission to run the marathon, not play tennis. LOL But, I’m not a quitter, and I made a commitment, so I will show up. At least I will have the endurance from all my running:) And the few times I have played, I held my own so all should be ok.

Another thing I did differently today was I weighed myself before and after my run. I’ve never done this before. I’ve always wondered how much I lost (water wise) from running. Looks like I lost exactly 2 lbs even though I drank roughly 40 oz of water/G2.

Time: 1:30:00
Duration: 8 Miles
Avg pace: 11:15
Calories: 748
HR stayed between 125 and 139

M1 - 11:13 M5 - 12:41
M2 - 11:19 M6 - 11:00
M3 - 11:16 M7 - 10:39
M4 - 11:32 M8 - 11:12