Longest Run Ever!

   In keeping with my brand-new policy of being a run-blogger who run-blogs, I offer up a report on yesterday's run.
   Yesterday, I ran as far as I ever have in my life!
   When I headed out the door, I wasn't even sure how far I was going to run. Lately I've just been concentrating on 5K training runs, as I've been pushing myself to get under the 36 minute mark (yeeks, that's slow!), eventually aiming at being somewhere in the twenties (ha!) Yesterday, though, I was feeling a little tired and not wanting to push myself so I opted for a slow and easy 10K.

MAINLY to show you the state of
the sidewalks and NOT to show off
what APPEARS to be a double-chin...

   I set out from my house and headed for Springbank Park, the simple plan being to run 5K in that direction and then turn around and head back. A couple of blocks into the run, though, I was feeling so good that I decided I would tack on an extra kilometer, if I thought that I could when the time came. This, then, would make a new record for me---11K!
   Now I know that by most standards this is not a huge distance but I also believe in baby steps and, if truth be told, I've only ever run 10K four times, so it is not like I have this strong base, either. An extra K, in this case, is significant.
   I continued to feel good when I entered the park, about 2 and a half kilometers in. Up to that point, the sidewalks had been pretty slushy and not much fun to run on. The temp was hovering right around just slightly above freezing and there was a conscious effort to avoid large, cold puddles. The running path in the park was much clearer, though, and I was able to settle in to a nice, slow run.
   My only real concern was that I would reach the halfway point in my run and then be simply too tired to be able to run all the way back. I get this feeling every time I've run a 10K and today I was going to be adding the extra mileage. The thing with a out and back run, obviously, is that you're gonna put the mileage in, whether you feel like it or not, even if it means walking back most of the way but I desperately wanted to be able to run the whole thing.
   Well, it turned out that I was able to run the entire way with no real fear that I wouldn't. I did find it necessary to stop four different times for stoplights, for a sum total of about 45 seconds, so no big deal, better to arrive alive. I was running at an 8:33 pace, so very slow, but this had been the plan all along.

ASICS shoes, Nike socks and Sugoi tights---I CLEARLY fulfilled
my Adidas clothing contract stipulations!

   I get the feeling that when I'm running this slow that I could run this way forever (likely incorrectly) so I'm sure that I can continue to add extra mileage on to my long runs. My plan right now is to tack on an extra kilometer every weekend and see how that goes. Eventually I want to run a half or a full marathon, just to be able to say that I did, so this means I  need to up the mileage. Fingers crossed.

The SAD story.....

   I managed to keep my feet reasonably dry for about 1o and a half K and then I got back to my street. The temp had gone up a little while I was running and the small puddles which were easy to avoid at the beginning were now much larger. On top of that, I didn't have the same amount of energy to run around them---just easier to run through them!
   My wife and I arrived back at the house at the same time so I was able to cop a pic of her getting out of the car after her hair appointment. She has a head of long beautiful blond hair and I'm always just a little freaked out that one of these days she'll come back with it all chopped off. Yesterday, though, we were fine and just another reminder of what a lucky man I am!

The HAPPY story!