Last night I had my first group training run. I was nervous and excited leading up to it. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. It was so neat to be out running through the streets of the city with over a hundred other people who all share the same goal of completing a 26.2 mile run. Much more motivating and inspiring than running on my own in loops through my neighborhood.
I definitely surprised myself - I put myself in the slower of the two groups, the 9:30/mile and above pace. I honestly have no idea what kind of pace I run. I know that on a 3 mile run I'm below 10 minutes, but every time I set off for a longer run I either forget the Droid or don't remember to write down my start time, so I've never actually calculated it. Last night I ran at a 9:30 pace for the whole 4.5 miles. I was shocked to find that I could (relatively) easily keep up with the front of the pack. I guess my solo training has paid off. I don't really think that it's a sustainable pace for me over longer distances, though, so that's something I'm going to need help with. I don't really know how to slow it down. I feel awkward when I try to run slower, but I know that I need to. I'm also going to need new shoes pretty soon, especially given my knee history.
Good times! I'm super excited about the longer run on Saturday.
