Well, I finally did it, I ran my first 10 mile run this weekend. I started Saturday morning a little after 9:00 am. It took 1:51:25, and was awesome. The weather was great around 72 degrees, and mostly cloudy. The first 1 1/2 to 2 miles I spent trying to decide how short I was going to have to cut the run due to my shins hurting, my knees hurting and whatever else I thought was hurting,:cry: but after that, I finally go in my groove, and was great after that.

From here, I hope to add an extra mile each week, with a few cutback weeks for races, and get up to 20 miles. Is that crazy? I can't wait.

I have been experiencing some slight ITBand pain lately so I've had to cut my mileage down a little, so as not to further injure myself. I'm stuck at 7 miles right now as my LSD and probably will be for a few weeks.

What did you fuel up with? And just out of personal curiosity, did you run the streets, a park, did you do an out and back route or what? 7 miles is easy enough to do at someplace like Cherokee or Iroquois Park but beyond that, I think I'd rather have a route that was not repetitive!

I'm proud of you truly! What an awesome accomplishment!!!!!! Congrats!!

I don't like running with anything in my stomach if I can help it, so I just took off when I got up. I had a GU with my incase I felt I needed something during the run. I freeze a bottled 10 oz water that I wrap in a wash rag to keep insulated and wipe the sweat out of my eyes. By about midway, it was starting to thaw enough to be able to get a drink, and it was still cool by the time I was done with my run.

I ran along the streets of New Albany. If you're interested in the actual path, click here. About 8 - 8 1/2 of that had side walks so it wasn't too bad. I hate running circles, so like you it would be hard for me to do my LSD runs in a park. Hopefully when they get done with more of the Louisville Loop I'll start running different sections of it for my LSD runs.

As a woman, I always feel like I need to carefully plan where I will run. Bad stuff happens anywhere, no doubt, but I feel obligated to pick where I feel most safe. But as I've said, no place is really safe. It makes me mad if I dwell on it too much.

Running news: I got a promotion today, I couldn't say no to it because it was that good. But it's doing something I'm not sure I'll love (what I do now, I LOVE) and the hours are really going to screw up my runs!

More news: That 100 Pushups in Six Weeks Challenge has me ULTRA sore~!

I know what you mean. Everytime I read on RW BF that a lady is running at night, I worries me . It's just rediculous out there. I'm not even crazy about running outside when it's not light out myself .

I have been meaning to try the 100 pushup routine myself, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Sad huh?

Glad to hear about your promotion . I hope even if you don't love it now, you can learn to. Sorry that it is going to screw with your hours though .

More news from me: I signed up for the 15K Downtown Doubler today . Looking forward to it.

Look at you, from a 10K to a 15K! I would love to do it but I don't know if I'll be ready in my training by then. I'm OKAY at 7 miles but nowhere close to being able to push them out at race pace. And to add on a couple more miles would be pushing it for me. But gosh, that's such a great race distance, it's not the same ol same ol!

I'd LOVE to do it man, I just don't know if it would be smart...but since I'm not doing the Louisville Half...I wonder...

Oh and thanks for the cheer on the promotion. I'm nervous but having weekends off for once...I don't know what to do! I guess there's an upside--even though I'll have to start running in the PM (which I abhor) I am guaranteed to be ABLE to participate in weekend races, which I never had the ability to before!

If I wasn't already doing the mileage, I would probably be second guessing it. I really need to work on my race pace vs. training pace. Right now they are pretty much one in the same. I have trouble slowing down for training, I guess because I feel like I already run slow. Maybe when I get a little faster at running my races, then I would be able to slow down to my current pace for training.

It would be great to have you out there, but don't over do it. I wouldn't want someone to over extend there self. Only you know where you are at in your training.

I actually prefer the evenings. I just find it so hard getting out of bed to go for a run that early. Even getting up to be at a 8:00 am race on a Saturday is tough. I love my sleep. Maybe we'll see you out there for race sometime since you'll have weekends off now.

I went for my probable last morning run during the weekdays this morning! I drove out to Creason Park and it was SO beautiful this morning. I got in a good run and walked over to the swings after I was done!!! I'm so stupid to be sad about my mornings, but I'll have Saturday and Sunday I guess--even though I'll want to sleep in on those days since I have to get up at 3:30 every other morning! LOL

Concerning race pace: I've JUST recently discovered that there IS a difference for me. For a very very long time, I only had one speed. I couldn't go slower (unless I walked--and YES, during races, there were speed walkers that had the same damn pace as me running!!! So embarrassing, and that's another thing, I can't WAIT to run another race because the pics from two of my previous races show me running, but the people around me are quite obviously walking. I FEEL DUMB! It's time for new pics to show the new improved Kriston!) and I couldn't go any faster either, because I would burn out.

Now, thanks to the diligence and my (what I perceive to be) smart training, I've figured out the difference. I run my LSDs at a...*gasp, no really?* slow pace, which I have to constantly remind myself during the run because I tend to go too fast. My easy runs (today's run, but I don't do many of them, maybe one per week, if that) are a step above the LSD pace.

My tempo and interval runs are above those guys, depending on the run and the distance. I never thought I'd be able to tell a difference but it's actually one thing that has kept me going!

When I started running major last fall and this spring, I couldn't run a mile in less than 12:30. Now, I've actually run a mile in 10:00! LOL It's great to see improvement.

Great job on the improvement. 2:30 taken off per mile is awesome.

I had kind of plateaued after the initial getting used to running. After 12 years of smoking, my lungs didn't like the idea, but they are starting to get used to it now. I have started noticing some improvements in my speed over the last couple of weeks. Nothing earth shatering or anything, may 15 - 30 seconds per mile improvement. I think my main problem has been not pushing myself hard enough. I haven't really (if I'm being honest ) really worked on tempos and intervals. I am trying more now, and I think that is helping. I still think I need to push myself with both a little harder. I'll never be fast enough to win any overall awards, but I would like to be able to win a few AG's.

Agreed with the AG's. I'd love to but I think many people in my age group are in better running shape than me...I would like to see that change. I was thinking the other day, after discussing this with a coworker who is above average in her age group (she's in her 50's), if I keep running throughout my life, which I intend to do, I might see the benefits in the future, even if I don't see them now. I'm talking not just health benefits, but AWARDS!!!!!!

Would you think I was dorky if I told you (hypothetically, of course, awaiting the answer to tell you if I did it or not) that I have an Excel graph with my age grades plotted out to keep track of my age grade progression?

That depends, would you think I was a dork for thinking about doing just that sort of thing? I'm funny like that I guess. I like to see where I've been, and where I'm going.

I wouldn't think you were a dork. Not at all. In fact, since we're *sorta* opening up with each other, I'll admit that I do in fact have that graph.

The good thing about sucking when you start running is that you can only improve, and my little dots keep getting higher and higher...which is good!

I hear that. The improvement in the beginning was great. The only problem with that was the staying motivated after the improvement started leveling off.