Continuous Running

I am not a runner.  Well, historically speaking, anyways.  Something tells me that's changing.

Today I ran my longest continuous distance - 5 miles.  Sure, I've done longer distances (14 miles) but always having to walk part of it.  My KatyFit running group was a big proponent of a 5 min run / 1 min walk interval plan, which is what I used for January's Half Marathon.  Even before then, the longest I've run continuously was 2 miles, always stopping because I got tired or my heart rate was way too high.

Part of my coach's training is for me to do my long runs in Zone 2, which ties into that lactate threshold test I did a few weeks back.  This week's long run was 5 miles in Z2.  So I started running, set my Garmin to keep me in Z2 and just thought I'd run until I felt like walking.  I took a trail I know well and was suprised when I made it to the first bridge, just over a mile away, without needing to walk.  So I took it farther.  And at my turnaround, I still felt really good.  I continued to run until I hit my 5 miles.  Was my pace blazing?  No.  But it was 15 seconds faster than my half marathon time with the run/walk intervals.  Hmmm....  Now we'll see if this type of running is sustainable over longer distances. 

I'm still amazed with how easy today's run felt.  Normally, running is hard and I have to push to keep going.  This was nearly effortless.  I like this kind of running - makes me want to be a runner.  Craziness.