Not too bad

This morning I stepped it up a notch in my training. Not only did I run 4 miles, the farthest I have run thus far, but I finished with my best personal time as well! I am surprised how little that extra mile affected me. All week I ran 3 miles, exhausted and moaning by the last 0.5 mile. Not today, well actually I was exhausted and moaning the last 0.5 mile, but it was at 3.5 miles instead of 2.5!!
Our coach failed to mention in the pre-run email that today's run was hillie. So you can imagine how happy I was when in warm-up he said, "Remember to take baby steps up the bridge, reserve your energy for the top"...I wonder what he means "top", how steep can this bridge be? HOLY COW! We all know I tend to exaggerate, but this hill was big enough that I couldn't see anything on the other side until I was at the top! So, thanks to that hill, my buttocks is tight like J-Lo's tonight :) No worries, I'm sure it will return to normal tomorrow! I thought I was a slow runner because Sean is always nearly a half a mile ahead of me, but I stayed in the front of the group the entire run today! That was an accomplishment all in itself!
I also learned about Gu today. I was told anything over 4 miles I should drink Gatorade and at least 1 Gu pack/4miles. So I went to the Sports store to find out what this Gu is. Basically it is a small packet of a TON of caffeine and protein in yummy flavors, but a not so yummy consistency. Obviously, I grabbed the chocolate flavor (can't imagine that will tickle my fancy like Dove chocolate, but it's worth a shot) and a few random flavors as well. Next week I bump up to 5 miles, so I will let you know just how chocolaty the Gu really is ;)
Good News! No blisters at all this week, only knee pain that I continue to push through. I am told it is a part of the game! I will continue to run and sweat this week, with your love and support. Thanks to my dear family and friends.