Made it to lucky #13!

It's been 8 long months since my last half marathon, but I finally achieved a 13+ mile run!  I planned a 9 mile loop for yesterday, but as I set out I was feeling good and thought that maybe I would be able to run a half marathon.  I decided that I would not look at my watch until I started to fatigue, and then I would see how far I had gone, and decide how much further to go.  My initial 9 mile loop had some long climbs but I was still feeling strong when I got back to town, so I kept going.  When my loop brought me towards downtown again, I was starting to get a bit tired, and I decided it was time to look at my watch so that I would know if I had gone far enough to just head home, or if I should add another neighborhood or two.  I glance at my watch showed that I was at 12.25 miles.  Tempting as it was to try for 15, I decided not to overdo it.  I got home at 13.4 miles, feeling tired, but overall good.

This week : 

M : 6.6 miles / 8:09

T : 4 miles / 6:54

W : 6.2 miles / 7:47

R : 6.2 miles / 7:53

Sa : 13.4 miles / 8:12 / 1093 ft

total miles : 36.4

There were three of us for a frigid Pub Run this week.  We all stayed together for the first two loops, then one runner headed in while the remaining two of us did a third lap.  Then the second runner headed in, and I picked up the pace for a fast last loop.  

I originally expected Tuesday to be a day off.  I had an appointment with the dentist at 4:15 to get this tooth business finished up.  (The dentist recommended another whitening treatment or two, but I really wanted to be done.  My tooth may not be perfectly white, but it's good enough for me.  I just wanted to be done.  So I told her to close it up.)  There was snow forecasted, and it was looking like it might get messy.  The dentist is a little over 30 minutes away, and I did not feel comfortable with the idea of having to drive back home if the snow got bad.  I was able to move my last class of the day earlier, and finished teaching at 2:30.  I called the dentist to let them know that I was worried about the weather and could be there by 3:15 if they could fit me in earlier.  They said ok, so I headed out.  It was starting to snow as I headed there, but the ground was pretty warm, so it wasn't really sticking.  While in the office, I could see the snow starting to accumulate, but then the sun came out.  I got my tooth all sealed up and headed home in the sunshine.  Since my appointment had been moved earlier, I got home with plenty of daylight left and decided to take advantage of it and run.  I chose to do a shorter/faster run.  It started snowing during my run, and by the last mile, the footing was getting slick.  I had a great run, and am very glad that I was able to move my appointment, because if I had kept the 4:15 appointment my drive home would have been hazardous.  At that point, I was mere days away from paying off my car, and there was no way I was going to risk crashing it!

Wednesday's run was good.  I knew my legs needed Thursday off, but it was a bit warmer out and I wanted to enjoy a hatless and gloveless run.  By the end of the run there was no doubt that I absolutely needed Friday off though.