Yesterday my friend Barbara, Carolyn and I  ran a 12 mile training run.  We started in the Headlands, ran down and across the GG Bridge towards the Marina Green.

Surprise!  As we came down the stairs near the Warming Hut we dropped smack dab into the “Bridge to Bridge” race.  Undaunted we hopped in (BUT, did not take any water or use any race resources).  At the 6 mile mark we turned tail and made our way back.

And up.

On a long run you are focusing on “time on your feet”.  Getting used to the distance, going slow and getting it done.  Knowing the last few miles of any long run are challenging is helpful because when you feel like you’re standing still you realize that it’s part of the process.

But because we decided to add scenery to our run we had a serious climb the last few miles.  And while we walked a bit, we ran most of it.  Oh so slowly.  As we made it to the top we all felt that the huge effort at the end was beneficial to our training.

So the moral of the story?  Don’t be afraid of hard.  Embrace it.  Push through it.  Have fun.

Now go run!

Keli 🙂