because we're AWESOME!

Since the spring thaw appears to be starting in the Midwest (!!), Meg and I decided that today was the day to break free of treadmills and head outside for a training run. It was 44 degrees when we parked our twin Priuses at the park. Dressed in thin running pants, my beloved Detroit Marathon jacket with a short-sleeved running top underneath, and gloves (I looked a little Dr. Evil-esque), I was chilly as we headed north out of the park. Before we were even two blocks out we'd set the brisk pace we'd follow for the rest of our run and the chill was gone. I'd used this website ahead of time to map out a route and, reading from my small, hand-written page of directions, Meg kept us from getting lost.

We followed the 6.2 mile route through (basically) two neighborhoods and back, including some streets I'd never seen before. This town has some really cute neighborhoods and it's fun to talk about the houses and so forth to keep our minds occupied. The distance passed quickly and before I knew it we were finishing off the trail through the park. Little did I know Meg had timed us. And guess what? We did it with a pace of 9:21.9/mile! The last day of February, and we beat the goal pace I set for long runs for February. Because we're awesome! And even better, the run felt great and we had fun. This was a huge confidence & motivation boost, which is important because we officially registered for the Illinois Half today, too. We have 9 weeks to build mileage and speed. We're both moving this summer and this might be our last chance to easily race together (there WILL be future shared races--the key here is the word "easily"). It's time to get our training in gear, and after today, I am so, so excited.

I have to admit a small defeat, though. Due to a bug that's been going around that prevented me from eating for about 4 days this week, I had to skip my Thursday run. Consequently, I missed my February mileage goal by 3.0 miles. I'm a little disappointed, but at least it was caused by something I had relatively little control over. Plus, I'm extra motivated to pick things up in March.

70.8 + 6.2 = 77.0 miles