5/13.1

Today, the weather is nasty. It's cold. It's windy. It's rainy. We're in the middle of a nor'easter, I suppose, but today was distance day. I got up early to run at 7:00 am to start the day right and have the rest of the day to do work and prepare for Thanksgiving. Last week, I ran four miles on distance day at a 11'30" pace. Each week (joints pending), I plan to try to go one mile farther, so today was five miles. I wasn't going to let the rain hold me back. Plus, I got to use my windbreaker, so that's always fun.

I made it and I honestly could have kept going. My left knee hurt a little, which I am sure is to be expected, and Chris was watching the kids, so I came home. I also used a new ankle brace that Chris had picked out for me. I love it! I didn't have any rolling issues or ankle pain. This brace is much more minimalistic, so it isn't uncomfortable around my foot either.

My pace was a little disappointing, though. I aimed for a 11'30" pace, and my first mile was 10'30". I kept an eye on my watch, but I think the pace measurement is a little off. I felt slower than what it read, but I wanted to go for distance, not speed, so I just kept maintaining that pace. In the end, my average pace was 11'47", so I'll continue to get used to my watch to pace myself better.

I did make it five miles, so I'm proud of that at least. On 12/22, Chris and his mom are running a five-mile race along the lights at the boardwalk. I was thinking of joining them if the weather is nice enough to push the boys. I don't expect to be going very fast at all, just aiming to finish it and enjoy the lights with the boys, but at least now I know I can go that far, even if it is slow.

The Shamrock 8k is a little more than three months away. I got the distance down. Gotta work on speed.