8 Miles: Been there, Ran that

I finished my goal of 8 miles on my long run today! Holy cow-a-bunga!!  8 miles! That's some serious distance for a newb like myself. It was super intimidating, but I knew it just had to be taken one step at a time. I went out a little fast (not sure where the energy came from), and had to slow it down after the first 3 miles or I'd have burnt out. I finished with a 12:12min/mile pace, still using the Galloway 1:1 method.

I'm still using G2 for my hydration, though next weekend I'll be packing a water bottle too. After 6 miles the sweat on my lips started making me crave straight water. Salt over-dose! I also GU'd at 2mi, that still seems to work great for me.

My wall is still set at 5 miles, then at about 6.5 I seem to find a second wind. I noticed my form actually improving during my last mile today. I kept telling myself: 'easy, breezy, strong'. Don't know where that came from, but it helped me hold my upper body straighter and keep my feet turning over. I felt like a champ that last mile.

My 'Champ' pose lol

One very odd thing today, I noticed after about mile 5 my leg muscles starting to feel depleted. I actually started really powering through with my glutes. They were like reserve engines for my legs lol. But now my butt has been hurting all day! Guess I never really used those muscles for running before.

Next weekend: 5k on Saturday followed by 9mi on Sunday. (I know, shouldn't race the day before a long run, but I was seriously craving a 5k! And it's to benefit the local animal shelter....my calling!)