18 miles!

All things aligned today for me to have a smooth 18 mile run!  The weather was perfect for running - about 25 degrees and little to no wind.  I got a good night's rest last night, and woke up this morning feeling pretty good.  I was even most pleasantly surprised by the fact that I ran the first 6-7 miles pain free!  That meant no walking breaks, which was very good for me mentally.  I took my first "break" about mile 7 so I could fuel, and honestly, catch my breath a little because without the pain in my hip and leg, I felt free to push myself a bit harder than I usually do.  Those first 7 miles are part of one of my regular routes, but then for the additional 2 miles to get half-way and to my turn around point, I went up a road I don't run on often.  It leads up into the mountains and so is a little up-hilly, but then at the 9 mile mark I was able to turn around and fly back towards home - it was a fun run!  At around miles 12 - 13 I was starting to feel my legs getting very tired.  I still wasn't having my usual hip pain, but I was having more difficulty keeping up a decent pace for very long, so I started to take more regular walking breaks.  I tried to limit them to 30 seconds or less, but they gave me just enough recovery time to feel a new burst of energy every time I would resume my running pace.  The end of my run wasn't quite as strong as the beginning - I did end up walking for the last 1/2 mile, but I was walking with a grin on my face because I had enjoyed my run and felt like I had accomplished what I set out to do: successfully finish 18 miles.  Up next week....RECOVERY!!  Yep, I've had three tough weeks, now I get to have some "rest", with no runs longer than 6 miles.