Three Hours of Running

W-O-W…wow! That is only one way to explain how today’s run went and felt! When we started our 26.2 mile journey 7 weeks ago, we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We didn’t really know how far 26.2 miles were. Sure we have all driven 26.2 miles, and probably many times throughout our lives, but driving 26.2 miles and running 26.2 miles are two VERY different things, and we are starting to see that as our weekly miles continue to increase. This week we ran a total of 31 miles and over half of those miles today! Today we ran 16…yes, 16…miles!

We love doing our long runs first thing in the morning because it is so much cooler, plus they take a while to do. This morning was another great Saturday morning for a long run. We started about 15 minutes (around 8:15 am) later than we had been the previous weeks, but the temperature was still pretty low, in the low 60’s. The humidity, however, was up in the mid-to-high 70’s, so it felt a little warmer and sticky. Despite the humidity it was still a lot cooler than it has been for our runs.

Even though it was a 16 mile run it was a great run with another strong finish. We finished the last 2 miles in 22 minutes! Here is a breakdown of the splits:

Miles 1-5: 1:02:55
Miles 6-10: 1:01: 01
Miles 11-16: 1:08:01

Not only was it a great run, but it is a new PR (personal record) for the both of us. We both felt much better during today’s run compared to last week’s long 14 mile run. It is amazing what one week can do for your training. I am still having a hard time believing that we just ran 16 miles. ‎Although it might be hard to believe that we ran 16 miles; we know and can feel that we did it! We are one step closer to that 26.2 mile goal we have set for ourselves!

Now back to my running versus driving analogy. Since I was having a hard time believing and seeing how far we had just run, I decided to measure the distance from where we park at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis to our driveway on the way home. I was shocked when we pulled into the driveway and my odometer read 16.2 miles! Wow! We pretty much ran the distance to the park we drive to to do our long runs! Crazy! While it might seem crazy, it really puts just how far we ran into perspective. We have driven to Quiet Waters Park numerous times, but now we can truly appreciate that distance and know that we have run that far, and in time, farther than that!

We are very proud of where we have come with our running. We can’t wait to see what the next week brings. We are reaching new levels of health and fitness we never knew was possible. I guess over 3 hours of running will do that for you!

We finished our run in 3 hours, 11 minutes, and 58 seconds which is just under a 12 minute a mile pace! Right where we want to be, as we have been shooting for a 12 minute mile pace for the marathon.

Today's run summary:

Miles---16
Time---3:11:58
Cool Down---25:02:46
Total Time---3:37:00
Total Calories---2830

Total Miles Run---166

Next run: Monday, August 30---5 miles!

Thanks for following our journey!