8 mile long run - (14/84)

What a beautiful day! Spring is on it's way in Iowa which means warmer temps and wind! Wow was it ever windy today! That made the run quite a bit tougher. This is the furthest I have ever run in one workout and I don't really feel that bad afterward. For a while I was channeling Steve Runner, tricking my brain. "You can do this, it's not that much further and you're not really that tired are you?" I kept repeating those phrases in my head over and over. It's also the first time I've run over half of my upcoming race distance. So it is encouraging that I can make it that far. I think a finisher's medal is within my grasp. I'm really looking forward to the race. It's almost here!

During my run I ran on the Clive Greenbelt trail which follows a small creek that runs through town and to the Des Moines River. I took that panorama with my digital camera and stitched it together with Adobe Photoshop. Yes, I am a computer geek. :-) I just thought that the old railroad bridge and the stream was too beautiful to pass up. Also, as I was running along I looked across the stream and saw two deer! How cool is that! I took a couple of pictures of them and then resumed my run. I ended up running 8.01 miles in 1:29:50. Not too bad, right around 11 min miles. I think that's about where I want to be for the race. Hopefully it's not windy on race day!

See you on the roads folks!
Alex