This week was a milestone: The 22.76 miles I logged were just above the adjusted weekly average I need to maintain for the remainder of the year if I want to hit my goal. I feel like I’m back on track for the first time since getting hurt.

It was also the first time I hit my pre-injury distances on my three “normal” run days. With my regular runs in place, I’m now focusing on extending my Saturday long runs. This week I decided to go for ten miles, up from last Saturday’s seven. It was a bit of a push, but I thought I was ready. Unfortunately, that didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped…

Saturday’s schedule was full but since I was “only*” running ten miles, I decided to run in the afternoon despite the predicted heat and humidity. That was definitely a mistake and although the first half went well, my average pace for the last five miles was way off even my usual slow run. Of course, eating poorly the night before and staying up late catching up with a friend probably didn’t help either. I wouldn’t change the last part, but I’ll definitely remember to respect the long run in the future. It’s a good thing to (re)learn that lesson now because the weekly long runs are just going to get longer as I work toward the marathon.

Total Mileage: 22.76 miles this week brings me to 484.82 for the year.

* – There is no such thing as “only” in running.

Photo credit – Steven Depolo