Long, hilly, and hard!

That's how I'd describe my morning run---my long, slow distance of the week. I met up with two other training group members for a run in the country. It was in the twenties, but it was sunny, so it didn't feel too bad.

We ran a new route for me and it was hill after hill. It was really tough. When there weren't hills, there were dogs. We encountered no less than seven dogs who barked, ran at us, and acted like they wanted a bite of us. My friend K. and I, who are not dog people, started carrying big sticks as we ran for protection. We probably looked crazy, but we felt better!

Today, I felt like the seven-mile group run pushed me much more than my solo run last week. The hills were a factor----last week's route had some gentle hills, but not as extreme as these. Another factor was running with better runners than I am. Both gals are faster runners than me and stronger on hills. I was cruising along at a slightly faster pace than my usual long distance pace and huffing and puffing a bit on the hills. But, I was proud I kept up!

Having to work a little harder was a good thing.
Having someone to hold my stick while I choked down my gel and took off my coat--- also good.
Having someone to talk to the whole distance---- priceless!

I guess we've unofficially started our half-marathon training. We're technically a training group for the 10K race in two weeks, but since we've gone past 6.2, I guess we're already preparing for the half. I can't believe I'm even considering running for 13.1 miles. Today at the finish point, I may have had another half-mile in me. But that's about it. I've got a long way to go!

Good Eats: I had a peanut butter banana protein shake after my run and it was so good! Then I had a slice of thin crust veggie pizza. I think I'm off to a good start for the week.