Relax and run

Today's plan called for a 7 mile run. Since I'm still feeling pain in my inner thigh area my aim was to take it as easy as I could. Sometimes I feel like every run is a race and I have to go my fastest. In cases like these I need to remember for now it's just about getting the miles in and keeping the body healthy. I kept my strides short and my feet quick hoping that would aggravate the injury a bit less than big pushes. 

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by my pace of 10:38. My first mile was my slowest at 10:54 and my third mile was my fastest at 10:18. Besides the tenderness in my inner thigh the run felt good. The last 2 miles were a bit more sluggish than the previous 5, but nothing too bad.

I know I have the tendency to get caught up in the numbers. "How's my pace?", "How far have I gone?", "How many more miles do I have to go?". I realized that on these longer runs, where I know I'm going to be out on the road for hours, it's just best to relax and run. Keep a steady pace, enjoy the surroundings and time with myself. This makes for a more enjoyable run and also gives the run a meditative feel. 

I still have quite decided on my goal pace for the marathon. I'm thinking between an 11 minute mile and a 14 minute mile. I know that's a big window,  but until I get to the much longer runs I won't know how my body will respond. I'm feeling things out as I go. At those paces I would finish the marathon between 4 hours and 48 minutes to 6 hours and 7 minutes. That's a long time on the road! I'm up for the challenge! One step at a time!

8 sessions down 81 more to go!