I did my mid-week sort-of-long run last night, which was 10 miles. After Sunday's disaster and the so-so run I had Monday night, I wasn't really all that excited about it. Monday night, I slogged through 5 miles at about a 10:15 - 10:20 average pace. Not bad, but it just didn't feel all that great. Since my enthusiasm wasn't exactly off the charts, I knew there was no way I'd get through the whole 10 miles on a treadmill. Since I was able to get through 7 miles with time to spare before it got dark last Thursday by leaving work early, I figured I'd be able to get through at least that much, if not the full 10, by leaving early again.

I decided to run over my local 3 and 2 mile loops - that way, in case it got dark before I was done, I could easily cut the run short and get home quickly, since I wouldn't be more than a mile or so from my apartment at any given point. I got home, got changed, packed up my Gu and Gatorade and headed out the door.

The first three mile loop went pretty well, as did the second. I was running splits around 10:15, but every couple of miles I'd manage one under 10:00 somehow. I was flying, and it felt great. When I finished the second three-mile loop, I felt awesome, and definitely like I had at least another 4 miles in me. I took a quick break for some refreshments, and started the first two-mile loop.

By the time I hit the 8-mile point, it was definitely dark outside, and according to my plan, the run would have ended there. Except... I was having a good time! I felt good, I felt strong, I still felt like I was flying and wasn't ready to stop yet. Since the loop is through a residential neighborhood with streetlights and lots of families that are at home in the evening, I decided to keep going and finish out the 10 miles.

The last two miles felt a little harder, since my legs were starting to get tired. Considering the fact that I'd run almost 27 miles in the past three days with no rest days? It wasn't entirely surprising. I kept chugging along, though, and picked it up at the end. The split for my last mile? 10:02. 10:02! After already running 9 miles! I couldn't believe it.

What amazes me is that Monday's 5-miler and yesterdays 10-miler were run at the same average pace, yet the 10-mile run just felt so much better. Maybe I just didn't have enough time to get into a groove on Monday, or maybe I was just better rested yesterday. Who knows. What I do know is I had an awesome run last night, and I'm now confident that I'll be able to get through my 20 on Saturday with no problems at all.