After my long run on Saturday, I found myself occasionally thinking about how I’d run more than I intended that day, how it didn’t feel so bad at the end of it, how now I knew I could run four-and-change miles that five miles this coming weekend wasn’t a big deal, etc. I also thought about how compared to that, the three miles I had to run two of the days this week* was no biggie. Imagine my surprise when I peeked at my schedule for this week and realized I’m already on the weeks when the “mode” run (yes, I’m referring to the type of average) was 3.5 miles, not three. Bummer, dude. But I can see how this is a good sign, in a way. These weeks go fast, as all weeks do these days. The higher mileage sneaks up on you, but it’s so subtle (and as I discovered on Saturday, sometimes you get halfway to the next week’s mileage without realizing it!) that you just go ahead and do it. And repeat. Today was no different. Since I moved offices last week I’m now just a smidge farther away from my “standard” running path at work, so tacking on the extra half mile pretty easy to do. And it’s such a small distance more than before that the mental barriers aren’t too high. While today’s run was a little painful and I was a little slower than I have been (legs were a bit sore, I think), now I can say I just casually ran close to four miles on my lunch break.
Summary:
- 3.7 miles (route)
- 39:01 minutes
- ~5.69 mph
*My weekly training plan is basically: two short runs (what I did today; anywhere from 3-5 miles depending on the week/ramping up over time), one shorter run/cross-train (when I plan to do intervals), two strength training sessions and one long run on weekends.
