My first 8 Miler for '09

Some weeks back, I told myself that if I am able to run 8 miles before the 11th of this month, I know that my Marathon Training for the "San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon" is on track. There was a span of about 6 months that I didn't run at all so I was quiet apprehensive running that distance. I started at 8:30AM and had a very light long sleeves on. The air was still chilly but the sun was already heating up the trail when I started the run. It takes me about a mile to get comfortable on a run, so I generally start very slow. At about the half mile mark I was passed by another runner (a Scotsman named Alan) who soon told me that he was also running 8 miles at a 9 minute per mile pace. So, a decision was made to run the distance together. We were conversing all the way until I started experiencing some running related gremlins. My cardiovascular fitness was fine and did not fail me. It was the muscular conditioning that created some problems for me. At about the 6 mile mark, my right calf started cramping up. Alan had an appointment for lunch after the run and so I asked him to continue on but not before we both committed to another run in the coming weeks. We might even train for a marathon. I'll make sure to take training pictures when that ever happens. I had to stop for about a couple of minutes to stretch and continued on my way. I had a run time of 1:12'20 giving me a 9'02 per mile pace. "Run Time" does not count the times that the runner stopped. On balance, I was quite pleased because 8 miles is actually my favorite distance - not too short and not to long either. 

It was a great running day.