The run this morning was a five miler. Long, but I have done this before so knew I was up to the challenge. I ran with my friend and neighbor Debby for a few miles, until she decided to slow up while I pulled ahead. It was nice to catch up with her since we rarely see each other outside of the summer pool season. The run was very flat other than a few small hills – a slow downhill course. Of course, what goes down eventually comes back to haunt you as an uphill run. We ran on a path through an elementary school, then back through a series of other neighborhoods. It seemed strange since a good bit of today’s run was the reverse of the route that we have been running.

The final hill was a killer. On the two-mile Saturday run a month ago, I walked most of the hill. Today, although at a slow pace, I ran the entire thing. Before the hill, I was running about the same pace as a fellow runner, Jennifer, so we decided to run together for the last mile and a half or so. We kept each other running – just like with Melissa last week. I really wanted to walk up the last hill, but knew if I started to walk I would not be able to restart. So, I kept running.

I actually felt good about 30 seconds beyond the top of the hill, so picked the pace back up to sprint the last couple of hundred yards. Jennifer and I finished strong, keeping with each other pace for pace. I really like having someone to run with that matches my pace on a given day – it keeps me going at a steady pace which I believe is the key to a successful run. We finished in 52:30 – a 1:05 pace for the 10K. Without hills, perhaps sub 1-hour, my goal.

This week, we have 3 1/2 miles on Monday and 5 1/2 miles on Wednesday. Monday will be a treadmill run and Wednesday, I will meet up with the team for the longest run yet. We have just three long runs left. 5 1/2 on Wednesday, 6 on Saturday, then the 10K (6.2 miles) on the 31st.

At this point, I’m feeling ready for the 10K – feeling strong and capable for the first time in decades.