The Joy of a Longer Run

Went for a 7.21 mile run today - longer miles and remembered just how great it can be to do a good long run.

Whatever incentive systems I have managed through the years to make it possible for me to run far - tracking apps, race prep, you name it - nothing beats the feeling I got today, over four miles into a run when I had been going slow enough to just keep going and not worry about it.

I feel some real joy when I have managed to balance that sense of pace and distance and just keep going without pushing.

Still listening to my latest obsessive sci-fi reading - Persepolis Rising, which is Book 7 of the Expanse series. A truly wonderful standout in the field of sci-fi.

Meanwhile, here are the geekier running details.

BTW, I have been running with Galloway style breaks - today about 30-40 seconds every 1.2 miles - for years now. I think it helps endurance and healthy running.

Also, I am a huge fan of smaller pace length and mid-foot strike - been running on Altra shoes for years now and got into it after reading Born to Run a while back.

I use iSmoothRun for tracking on an iPhone and linked to an Apple Watch. iSmoothrun allows me to customize a workout better than most apps I have used.

Fuller stats found at Smashrun here.

Also here I am at Strava here.

I follow and connect via both platforms, but more on Strava.

Some details for the run:

Running Time: 1:11:19

Total Distance: 7.21 miles

Avg. page: 9:54/mile

Last two runs

So, did a temp run today and slowed down in my second and third splits - I suppose that's what happens when I start going downhill and finish going uphill :-) Keeping my speed pretty good and still walking 30 seconds every mile, except for the last - I felt too good!
Here's the detailed workout.

Also got in my interval training run on Monday - 6 x 800's, with 90 seconds walking between them. I was pretty happy with this run too.
Details.

Next run, on Saturday, an easy paced 10 miles.

Back on the road and longer...

After a week long hiatus due to the High Holy Day craziness, I decided to try and increase mileage while keeping my pace not too fast. Started out slowly, and slowly increased pace throughout the 7 miles, keeping the 4 minutes running, 30 seconds walking, the whole way, and correcting when I blew it :-)

Overall, felt great - awesome to be running longer again and feeling like I could go farther.

Here are the details - if you can't click through to them, "friend" me on Map My Fitness.

This week's runs - mountains on one!

Sunday I got out and ran on the Blue Ridge Parkway - gorgeous! And slow - I have forgotten what it's like to run at a little altitude and up serious hills, oy!

Here are the details on that one.

Today, after walking to Kindergarten, I managed to get in my normal distance plus a little more, at my relatively normal pace now - still lots of work to do. Got up to close to 5.5 miles though!

Details on today's run.

Fitting training in on the first day of kindergarten

Thanks to Ginny for making sure I got a run in today, even if it was a quick hill training session.

Figuring out how to sprint in a better gait for barefoot running - instead of lengthening stride, increasing repetitions, which I have been practicing, was pretty cool in a sprint up a hill too!

Here's the link to the session, not much to look at.