10.0

I reached a milestone today.

This morning I ran 10 miles. (16.09Km)

My previous best was almost as far - 9.3 miles - but my overall pace was faster this time around.

The only downside? I did it on a treadmill. That's right people, I busted my ass on a treadmill for 1 hour and 26 minutes just because I could. (The fact that it was raining like mad at 5:45am helped.) For those of you who think that doing it on a treadmill is easier, let me tell you different - what it lacks in hills and concrete it makes up for in boredom and monotony. Thank God for the Zune or else I would have died. (I also think the heat in the gym is a downside, as I was really sweaty at the end of the run.)

And wouldn't you know it? When I can't run (like right now) it's sunny and gorgeous outside. It doesn't bug me though, because to my legs, 10 miles indoors is the same as 10 miles outside.

On a side note - don't drive a stick-shift after such a long run. Even with stretching, I got a cramp in my calf from pushing in on the clutch. (Lots of stops and starts on my way back home.)

The shower at home was the greatest thing in the world. (But that's all I'm gonna say about that.)

With that pace, it puts my approximate Half Marathon finish time at about 1:54:00 - and I'm shooting for anything under two hours. With over three months to go, I should be able to make that time easily.

Here's to the next level - a couple more 10 milers over the next few weeks, and then I'll push for 13.1!



Later