Yesterday I completed my longest training run so far: 10 miles! Since I didn’t have to work on the holiday, I decided to make the most of my day off and tackle the distance. I ran along the bay the entire run–some of the route plucked right from the Bellingham Bay Marathon course. I’ve found a really nice out-and-back run that can be lengthened as long as I want, so it will work for the longer runs ahead (16, 18, 20 miles). It’s a good mix of roads and trails, which is great for my knees. The first few miles were a bit tedious, but 3-4 miles in, I really started to enjoy myself. The second half of the run was really fun. I also ran with my fuel belt and I am glad I did. I drank both bottles of water and was very grateful for a little snack at the halfway point. What made me especially happy was that I had a negative split and I felt really good after the run… ready for more!

I ran out of GU, so I ate the Sport Beans instead.

At the halfway point, and already very sweaty.

Tomorrow I will wrap up Week 5 with my mid-length run (5 miles).

Week 6 will culminate with a half marathon in Seattle, even though the prescribed long run is 11 miles for the week. To avoid overuse, I am cutting back two of the shorter runs and adding those two miles to the long run. Therefore, when all is said and done, the cumulative mileage will be at 24.

Monday: 4

Wednesday: 3

Friday: 4

Sunday: 13

Total Mileage: 24

I hope everybody had a great 4th of July yesterday! I will be back next week to discuss Week 6. Yowza, I can’t believe I’ve been marathon training for more than a month–it is flying by.

It’s FRIDAY!!!!!!