7 Miles

IronMo was right - I did not die! I actually did just fine, and ran almost the whole thing. I walked up 2 hills on the second half, but other than that just plodded along. I didn't wear a watch, so I have no idea how fast/slow I ran.

I ran with the group on Dick Woods Road (yes, that's its real name). The first mile was a gentle uphill, and it was mostly level after that. The miles were marked, which was very nice, and there were water stops at the start/finish, and at 2 and 4 miles. I didn't quite go to the 4 mile one - I turned around at my best guess of 3.5 miles, to stay at 7 miles for the morning. I was tempted to run farther, but figured I should err on the side of too little since this is by far my longest run in over 10 years. I ran the first 3.5 with the woman who had marked the course that morning. When I turned around at 3.5, she kept going to 4, so I was by myself for most of the rest of the run. It was very peaceful, and I felt good. I had one Jolly Rancher and one roll of Smarties to keep me going. At the end, I inhaled a Clif Bar and some pringles.

I was amazed at how good I felt when I got done. Maybe it was that 1 mile downhill, but I didn't feel overtaxed, or like I was pushing my limits. I'm still entirely daunted by 26.2 miles, but I feel like I could have kept going for at least another mile or two. Of course, the high is wearing off now, and I'm starting to feel the 5:15 wake up call.