Longest Run in a Month

AM: 57 mins.
8 miles
PM: 30 mins. ellip.

Today I was absolutely determined to have a successful run. Fortunately Tanya was back from Penn and amenable to driving to McAlpine, so we set out around 9:30 for an 8-mile attempt. For both of us, this would be our longest run in over a month.

From the outset, one thing was readily apparent: it was waaay too hot outside. I don't know when our comfortable, balmy spring weather charged full throttle into summer, but the temperatures and humidity were already soaring by mid-morning. Once the sun comes up at McAlpine there are very few areas of shade (maybe ~2 miles worth of an 8-mile run), so needless to say we were sweating buckets almost immediately.

I'm not going to lie, although the run was very difficult for me, I was proud of how I hung in there. The last two miles hovered around 7-minute pace (which, sadly, feels like an all-out sprint for me right now) and I was literally having to coach myself to each quarter-mile marker to keep from giving up. I have to believe that my fitness is going to come back if I just keep plugging along, and efforts like today's are certainly a good start.