Week 25: Going the distance

Well, spring has finally (really and truly) arrived in central Indiana. This past week I was able to get a long run in without rain, sleet or snow!

Overall, I ran 17 miles last week but on Saturday, I was able to complete just over 10 miles without stopping. It was a little windy but really, I couldn't have asked for better weather. I even got a little sun and now have a slightly tanned nose. Yep, that's it... just my nose.

I ran a few more miles on Sunday just to loosen up and then used the foam roller and runner's stick on my calves, I-T band, hamstrings and quads. I'm a little sore today but in a good way -- like I accomplished something.

I ran without music and surprisingly, didn't go crazy. I did, however, keep the Map My Run app running on my phone (which was in my jacket pocket) as I want to track my distance and time. I know I could use a watch but then I'm always looking down at it. If I keep the app running in my pocket it's kind of "out of sight, out of mind." I also really like the app while I'm jamming to Pandora on shorter runs because it will interrupt my music to let me know I just finished a mile and my split time. I've been able to step it up in terms of my pace once I know how fast (or slow) I'm truly going. This helped prepare me for my longer run on Saturday tremendously.

My first race is this Saturday, the Carmel Marathon (I'm doing 13.1). My husband did the full marathon last year and liked the course. So far, the weather forecast says it's going to be sunny and 70 degrees for the race. I'll take it! I have two other friends running and I think we're all going to brunch afterwards. I can't wait to see if I'm any faster than my last mini!

Running over 10 miles after not completing a "long" run in weeks wasn't as hard as I thought it would be; however, the recovery has been difficult. I'm having a little bit of knee pain, although it feels much better since I used the rolling stick over the area yesterday afternoon. My shoes shouldn't be the issue so I'm hopeful that a couple of runs mid-week will help make Saturday as smooth as possible.