Week 6 - Long Run 8.6 miles

• Weather: 71 degrees, no rain, 69% humidity
• Location: New Balance Store, Glenwood
  
• Duration: 8.6 miles, 1 hour 57 minutes
  
• Average pace: 11:00 - 11:30

Good run today. Drank lots of water & Gatorade. Felt really strong most of the run. The hills at the end (past 8 miles) were rough but Anne and I were able to run them. Kelly ran the full 8 and took longer walk breaks on the last hills.

Been debating on whether to move up to the 11:00 min/mile pace group but with the increasing mileage, it may be safer to stay where I'm at. Plus I would miss the running group companionship.

Running these long distances wears you down. I had a banana before the run. Eating prior to the runs is more important now that the distances are longer. I'll have to look into more complex carbs and protein for breakfast. Asked Ron about it, he suggested bananas, fruits, bars, half a bagel with peanut butter, etc. Tolerable foods, not new foods so you have no surprises during the run.

I honestly thought this run was going to be a lot harder but, surprisingly enough, it was a really good run. You almost have to take a nap afterward. According to my Garmin, we burned at least 860 calories. AMAZING!! I ate junk today; pizza, a doughnut, fajitas. My diet has to get better to maintain this kind of running. AND I've got to loss some of this weight. I feel like I'm carrying around 20 pound weighted biker shorts! ;>

Couch to 5k (C25K) training starts on Monday. Should be at least 5 gals in that group. I'm going to run with them on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. On Tuesdays & Thursdays I'll run with my regular social group and Saturdays with Galloway. This may seem like a lot but the C25K is mostly walking and only 20 minutes of activity. Should be a good leisurely workout for me.