lesson learned

I did it! I passed the 10 mile mark yesterday!

When I made my life goal list last December, I also made a deal with myself that once I reached 10 miles, that would be the time to put the money down on the Marathon. So, I guess it's time to do that now!

This time around, I did things much, much differently!

For starters, I was in Augusta, where the air is much better. I ran a course that was actually a bit hilly, and I started the run around 7. I think the conditions are comparable to what the Peachtree 10k will be like (or at least I hope they are, since I handled them ok!). My course was 5 loops, each loop was 2 miles long. I ran the loop forwards, back, forwards, back, back. At the end of each loop, I took a quick water break. At the end of loop 3 (6 mile mark), I slurped down an energy gel.

I can't believe I actually made it this far. By the time I was on mile 9 I started smiling really big, because I knew I had it done. It's such a great feeling, getting out of the discouragement and reaching for something I've never done. Thanks for everyone who has encouraged me this week!