Day 143.

This was the view when I woke up this morning...

...and 9 miles later, I saw this...

I was anxious and excited about today's 9 mile run.  When I woke up, I ate a small handful of peanuts and dried blueberries and drank a few sips of water.  Then I did 15 minutes of Pilates before heading out.  I felt pretty good the whole run.  Aerobically, I definitely felt fine, but the last couple of miles my legs started to hurt.  Not to the point that I wanted or needed to stop, but I could tell I was pushing the limits.  I guess that's why it's called training!  At around mile 6, I pulled a few dried blueberries out of my pack and ate those, followed by a few sips of water.

Okay, so there's a picture of my Garmin after finishing my run.  I'm reminded of this quote by Amby Burfoot, Co-founder and Editor of Runner's World Magazine: "Slow-but-sure has always worked for me, in running and in most other arenas. I wouldn't mind being a Carl Lewis or Usain Bolt, but I've found little payoff in attempting to be what I'm not."  I can relate. ;)

After my run, I stretched and cooled down by doing level 2 of Yoga Meltdown.