See Megan Run: 9 Miles

Today was the first of my Saturday long runs. There are many more to come and they only get longer from here on out. It am glad to say it went well. Since I'm a total wuss when it comes to running in cold weather I hit up my local gym to pound out the miles on the treadmill. Not my favorite way of doing it, but it gets the job done. One thing I do love is my gym's cardio cinema. I can run in the dark with a movie distracting my attention, and when I get bored I just throw on my ipod and jam the rest of the way. I know some people like to run free of music, but I can't live with out it. It gets me to the end!

I am kind of crazy in the sense that I do get excited for my long run days, not because I think running for two hours (sometimes more) is necessarily fun, but for reasons listed below.
1- I LOVE the sense of accomplishment that I feel when I am done. The last couple minutes for me turn into this almost euphoric joy. For me running is an emotional roller coaster. There are points (usually about 1/2 way through) when I think. Why am I doing this? Am I crazy? But the feeling at the end trumps any doubt I've felt along the way. It's SO worth it. A natural high for sure.
2- I get myself mentally prepared for my long days. It reminds me of when I used to compete for dance. You really have to focus on the goal in mind and doing your best, and then when you succeed it's a great boost.
3- Nothing like burning 1,300 calories at once.
4- I get to say, I did it!

So there you have it. One lung run down. No Injuries. Nothing negative to report, but glad to be done for the day!
OH!! Also...for those of you who were looking into running the SLC 1/2 Marathon. I was wrong in my last post about it the training program for that one hasn't started yet. I was looking at my marathon schedule and not the 1/2 marathon schedule. So....if you thought...oh too late I missed it. You get a second chance!!