Slow Distance

Today the schedule called for a 9 mile easy run. I did 9.6 very slow and it wasn't really hard.

I used part of the Interurban trail, which always knocks me out. It's a hiking/biking trail that's basically an abandoned railroad right-of-way that's been paved over. Trails like that to me are just a step up from a treadmill. In other words, they bore me.

Except for a little stretch right after the turnaround, I felt pretty strong the whole way. Oh, how slow was I? I finished in 1:39, which translates to 10:20 per mile. That's a little slower than I really want to go in training, but I'm really trying to focus on piling up miles.

I keep telling myself that I simply want to finish this marathon, that I don't have a time goal. But I can't help thinking about how nice it would be to finish in under 5 hours or maybe even 4:45.