Terrific Ten

Ladies and gentlemen...for the first time EVER I banged out a 10 mile run this morning!  And on the boring treadmill no less.  (It is snowing AGAIN...)  This is how I feel right now:

Wanna know the really amazing thing about today's run?  Other than the fact that it was ten freaking miles?  I did not feel tired at the end!!!  Well, (let's be real) maybe a little exhausted, but I definitely did not feel like I was going to pass out/fall off the treadmill/die like I have after some runs.  This makes me SO happy because it means I've actually figured out fueling and pacing strategies that WORK for me!  

I knew I would need plenty of energy throughout this run, so I had my usual pre-long run snack of gel & water about 20 minutes before leaving for the gym.  During the run I sipped a water bottle of 1/2 powerade and 1/2 water.  This was the first time I've tried that, and I was really happy with it.  I felt hydrated throughout  the run.  I also had a second gel after 5 miles.  All of that sat really well in my super sensitive tummy, which is a major celebration!  

As far as pacing goes, I am ALWAYS slow.  But I've been working on starting off even sloooower on the long runs, and increasing speed veeeery gradually.  I'm running the race in 3/1 run/walk intervals, a strategy I started as I was recovering from my tibial stress fracture that I have really come to like.  For me, it totally works.  I have SO much energy at the end that the last few miles I can really kick up the pace.  I did the 10th mile with no walk breaks, knowing that this was the time to use all of that stored up energy.  And I felt great the entire run!  (minus some pain in my knee the last mile...I'm not worried about it, though, because it stopped immediately when I slowed to a walk for cool down and is feeling fine now.  Maybe my body was just was confused about the long distance I was suddenly expecting it to do!)

Besides pacing and fueling correctly, another thing I have learned while training for this race is the power of a positive attitude.  While getting dressed and on my way to the gym this morning I listened to my favorite pump up songs on repeat.  I talked the run up in my head, and reminded myself how I had dominated my 9 mile run last week.  What's one more tiny little mile?  I wrote my favorite mantra on my wrist:

Trust the Process

But you know what?  I'm not sure I even needed all of that.  The long and short of it is, I was ready for this run.  My body has come SO FAR in my training.  I was ready to run 10 miles today.  I will be ready to run 12 miles next week.  And in 3 weeks I will be ready to run 13.1.  Can I just say that I'm starting to get REALLY excited???