Running Firsts!

Sunday afternoon's training run was awesome! I really think the biggest surprise I've encountered during my training has been discovering that I actually enjoy this! A long weekend run is about a billion times more fun than a short midweek treadmill run. I LOVE the sun, fresh air, wildlife, trees, and friendly fellow trail users that round out my weekend runs. And on this last run, I accomlished several 'firsts', making me feel like I've really arrived as a runner.

• First time cracking the double-digit mileage barrier! My run on Sunday was 10 miles on the Reach 11 trail (my new favorite running spot). At the end of my run, Paula Radcliffe made a guest appearance on my Nike+ to congratulate me in her British accent.
• First time eating GU. Around mile 7.5 I refueled with a vanilla bean flavored pouch of, well, goo. My running friend had recommended that flavor because it tasted like cake frosting, and she was right! It definitely seemed to help, too, because at the end of this run, I felt like I could have kept going. (A week before I had only run 9 miles and was exhausted afterwards.)
• First time squatting trailside to pee. I won't give you too many details on this one. But if one is out running for more than an hour while continually rehydrating from their Camelbak, one may be quite thankful indeed that the trail is well vegetated with large, lush trees.

Next weekend: 12 MILES!!