You know you’re going on a long run when you can get lost on it. I’m still getting used to the trails in Des Moines. It’s a great system because there are so many connected trails and it seems like you could go forever. But it’s also bad because there are so many trails and you have to remember which one you’re supposed to be on, it’s not always so clear.
Today I took an 11 mile run from my apartment to Gray’s Lake and Water Works Park and back. No small feat. I was proud of myself for getting this done first thing in the morning. Over the summer I would often putting running off until 8 o’clock at night, but now that it’s cooler and I’m living in Des Moines rather than Altoona it’s more important for me to get the run in first thing.
11 miles is, once again, the furthest I’ve ever run. My half marathon is in five weeks and I feel confident after this run that I will be able to complete it when I’m running in a crowd of people. I think I will run in the 10 minute mile pace group and feel I should be able to manage that. In the next couple of weeks I’m planning to do two more 10 mile runs, I originally thought I would do a 12 mile run but everyone says if you can run 10 miles you can do a half marathon. I’d like to get a little bit more consistent with my long runs and then start easing up on my training.
I’m incredibly excited for this to be over. I started my half marathon training all the way back in June, which is much longer than most people train for half marathons. I knew it would be a busy summer so I wanted to give myself extra time to train in case I wasn’t always able to get a long run in.
I’m also excited to run all around Des Moines. Back in February I ran my first 5K in the downtown Des Moines area and it was thrilling to run by all of these things that I drive by every day. I have a feeling the half marathon will be a similar experience, but on a much larger scale.
