6 miles and runnin'....

So, I ran my 6 miles today. I'm proud of myself because that's the longest run I've been on in several years.

Let me just say this: I am not a long distance runner. That's Julie. She could go on for days. As for me, I ran cross country in middle school and I was good. In fact, I bet middle school me could run a faster mile than me today. I mostly just ran XC to keep in shape for hurdles, which is where my running passion lies. Throughout high school, I ran hurdles, with an occasional 400m here and there. I broke my arm sophomore year and was forced to run the 800m, much to my displeasure. Long-slow distance runs, an essential part of sprint training, was my least favorite practice.

Don't get the wrong idea, though. I really want to run this marathon and I'm going to, for a multitude of reasons. Even in the early weeks of training, I get anxious on days that I don't run. I get excited while lacing up my shoes and getting ready to head out the door. After that first mile, I fall into a rhythm and feel like I could run forever...or maybe just for 26.2 miles.

On Sunday, Julie and I are going to run 8 miles. That's a long run, for either of us and quite possibly the longest run either of us have ever been on. I think that training together will be really excellent for both of us -- Julie is great at keeping it at a steady pace and I'm great at picking it up and pushing the pace. I am not good at picking out a reasonable pace for long distances at all. My instinct is just to run run run as fast as I can. Let's see how Sunday goes.