The thing is, it wasn't that bad. I had a good sleep last night. It was perfect weather for a run this morning: sunny but breezy. I had excellent company and conversation for the first 22k. My stomach cooperated, my hamstrings didn't give out. I am now hobbling around a bit, but the Sunday afternoon hobble is now a normal part of my existence. It wasn't fast, but it wasn't all that slow either. Two and a half hours of running that, shockingly, I kind of enjoyed.
I say shockingly because I thought this would be the part I'd hate. I thought I would dread these longer and longer runs taking up my entire Sunday morning, requiring rest Saturday night and more rest Sunday afternoon. And yet I find myself kind of looking forward to the long runs. In fact, the short, steep hills I ran on Wednesday were much more uncomfortable and mentally challenging. The long run is leisurely. When you divide it up into 5k segments, or gel breaks, or route sections, it doesn't feel all that long. I like seeing the kilometers click by on my GPS watch. I like making it to places I've never run to before. The long run means time with friends, or the opportunity to really listen to an entire album. Or three entire albums. I enjoy the feeling that I've accomplished something, on a weekend, before 11am. And then, when it's all over, I can laze around and eat everything my heart desires for an entire afternoon. In fact, I NEED to rest and eat obscene amounts. How many people get to say that?!
Oh jeez. I'm turning into a distance runner.
Week 9 Recap:
M: off day - Vinyasa Flow class
TU: 10k + core/leg weights
W: 13k (6 x 650m hill workout)
TH: off day
F: 14k (2 x 5k workout)
SA: 6k
SU: 30k
Week total: approx. 73k
you're crazy
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