The long run

Yesterday was the first long run – seven miles – of this training session. I was reminded with nearly every footfall of that time last January I ran seven miles on the treadmill. Quelle boring! But outside, on a little-traveled road, in the country, along a river? It was lovely!

I might have gone faster if a bear had been on my tail. Or if someone had dangled a donut on a stick just out of my reach. Seven 12-minute miles were sandwiched between 16-minute warm-up and cool-down miles. So nine total in less than two hours.

If my last – and only! – experience with race training holds true, I'll continue to get faster and take fewer walking breaks as my endurance improves. I had to stop and walk four or five times yesterday morning.

The other thing I remember from last January's treadmill run is that I didn't do anything the rest of the day except read and nap. Not so this time. I did a couple loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, fixed lunch and dinner – in other words, I continued with my normal routine.

I'm glad today's a rest-from-exercise day, though.

Because we were on the road, I didn't weigh myself last Friday. I hopped on the scale this morning and am down one pound. I hope to make another dent in it this week.

My new favorite breakfast is a smoothie made with Activia Light Vanilla Yogurt, half a cup of skim milk and a scoop of chocolate-flavored protein powder. Thirty-two grams of rib-sticking protein and only two grams of fat, and about 250 calories. I wasn't hungry for hours afterward.

Rereading this post, I can't imagine that anyone is still awake, if you've even made it this far. It sounds like a second-grader's "what I did on my summer vacation" theme. Running seven miles has apparently sapped my ability to write. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

Hope you have a great Monday!