Lessons Learned on The Long Run: On a scale of 1-10, it was 9(ish)

On a scale of 1-10, this morning was 9(ish)......miles, that is.

I spent the first hour of my morning trying to figure out a way to push my long run of nine miles off for another day or two. Finally, the hubs told me to just go get it done. I knew he was right, so out I went.

As I stood at the end of the driveway trying to will myself to start running, I realized I was really struggling with self confidence. I was scared of nine miles. I was really scared. I definitely didn't feel like I could trust my training. I started really doubting my whole "no formal training plan" approach. But, eventually I made a deal with myself, saying, "You can go as slow as you want, as long as you'll just go." And then off I went.

You know what? I didn't go slow! I went pretty fast (for me) and I loved almost every second of my run. It felt so good to get a real long run in. I'd forgotten how much I like spending the morning logging miles.

THE BAD:

1. The (ish) - Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever run up to a busy red light, stopped your Garmin while you waited, and then took off running again once the light turned, only to realize much further down the path that you never restarted your Garmin? Well, it happened to me today and it sucked. We runners (especially me) are obsessed with mileage. On long runs every tenth of a mile counts. Hell, every step counts! And I want to be able to see all of those tenths and steps reflected on my wrist. Luckily, I was really familiar with the trail, so picked a turn around spot that I knew was exactly four miles, got to the starting point of my run, and then ran another 1.12 (the extra .12 just to be on the safe side) miles, so I am confident I got in all nine miles, but the ish is still killing me.

2. The road block - Literally, the blocked road.

How in the world are they going to put this in the middle of our running trail?!?! There was no way to go around it. More re-routing, which isn't exactly what you want to do on your long run.

THE GOOD:

1. The People! - Oh, how I love other runners! Seriously, you guys make my day. A few miles in on this morning's run I started thinking about the difference between long run Fridays and long run Saturdays, the biggest difference being loneliness. On Saturdays, the trails and streets are full of other runners getting in their long runs. Friday mornings just aren't so busy. Well, about ten seconds after I got done thinking of how lonely I would be, along comes another female runner. When she catches my eye she doesn't just smile and wave. No, she smiles and waves and calls out, "GOOD MORNING," like she meant it. Her warmth filled me with joy. I smiled and waved and called back out to her, "GOOD MORNING!" It only got better from there. Shortly after that encounter, I came across an older man running and he gave me the full on, "Namaste" greeting (complete with the bow and palms pressed together as if in prayer - all while never losing stride). Well, I cannot tell you how much I love, "Namaste." It is my favorite greeting in the whole world. It's actually probably one of my favorite concepts in the whole world. Loosely, it means: the divine in me recognizes the divine in you. Oh, I just love it. All that is implied in that phrase is all that is right in the world. From that moment on, I was floating. I was so excited to see people that I never once missed an opportunity to smile and wave. And you know what happened? Every single other run reciprocated (that is if they hadn't already initiated). Do you know what that means? That means that this morning, while out on a 9 mile run alone, I connected with dozens of other strangers in a positive, friendly, and supportive way. Oh, it was wonderful. I love you, runners.