Truthfully, 5 miles were trod by my tired and sore feet. I did ,8 mile warm-up walk, and then the rest of the loop that I had mapped out was 4.2 miles. I had a GU Roctane to keep me going -- first time re-fueling on a run.
The first 2.5 miles were good. I was feeling strong. My pace was steady, and I think it was a little bit faster than my normal pace. Cool. The first .75 mile were familiar. Then I turned left. BRAND NEW PAVEMENT! It was so beautiful, and soft and squishy (not really... but very nice)! I was really enjoying the route!
And then I saw the hills. The major downhill was first. I was pretty relieved that I had chosen the direction that I had!
I got to about the 2.5 mile point and then I saw the huge UPHILL in front of me. Whoa. My legs just kind of stopped. I walked up the hill, and to the start last 1 mile part of the loop, which was all very familiar territory.
I started using the GU at about 1.75 miles, and just had a little bit every few minutes. I wasn't really sure about the best re-fueling methods, since I have never done long runs before, and for most people a 4 miler wouldn't be considered a long run, but it did take me an hour! Which means that my AVERAGE pace was just over 15 min/mile, and I did walk in the middle -- I think for at least a 1/4 mile, so my running pace had to have been below that. Cool! I am just getting stronger, which is great!
OH-- the weather was gorgeous. Cool, and crisp. I wore a new long sleeved "wicking" tee shirt from Kohls (on sale for $8!) and a vest with POCKETS!! YES! and my new RUN LIKE A MOTHER BondiBand, and I was good to go. Oh - I should mention that I was wearing my running shorts, that are like leggings, that go to just above my knee. Temperature wise I did get a little warm because of the vest in the sunnier portions, but overall, I felt good. :)
So-- I would love other runners to weigh in on this for me....
How would you describe what I did today?
5 miles, since I walked in the middle, it might seem silly to separate them like I did?
4 miles, since that was what I had planned for?
2.5 miles, then 1.25 miles?
Yes, I analyze things to death.
I do sort of feel like I am cheating when I have to take walking breaks. However -- I DO still feel like a runner, which I am happy about. :)
