Looooong run.

Yesterday was a bit of a milestone — longest run yet!

TEN MILES, bitches.

Yes, I know, I’ve been running a progressively longer run every weekend for the past few weekends so that news is kinda … not news.

But 10 miles is a big deal.

A big deal, you see, because the Mid-Winter Classic is 10 miles, and it is in two weeks!

So, um, not that I did have any concerns, but if I did — yes, I can run 10 miles.

It was 10 miles, alone, along some of the back roads in Brunswick.

I meant to meet up with the Brunswick Maine Running Company running group, but alas, they meet at 8 a.m. SHARP and I was not there on time.

I brought my iPhone with me and my wireless headphones ran out of batteries about halfway through the run, so I just listened to my feet. 123-45. 123-45. It was really nice.

I can tell I’m getting a lot stronger because the long run this weekend didn’t wipe me out for the rest of the weekend. I went snowshoeing at my friends’ house in the evening and weight lifting at the gym today and zero soreness. I think this is the first time in a long time that I really haven’t felt any soreness at all.

Which is awesome. Look at how much more running I’m doing:

http://www.dailymile.com/people/pzunk#ref=tophd

How many miles I’ve run for the past several weeks

So. In the short term, my goal is to run the Mid-Winter Classic under 2 hours. I feel very confident I can do this, as I ran the 10 miles on Saturday in 2:02 (in between getting lost, tying shoes, playing with the phone, etc.).

In the long term, I think I am going to keep aiming for about 20-25 miles per week with a 8-10 mile long run on the weekend for the near future. I’m not sure what my next race will be after the Polar Bear 5K on Feb. 13. I guess it makes sense to start training for a half-marathon (13.1 miles), but I just don’t see myself having the time or the willpower to run longer than I am right now until the days get a bit longer and I can run outside in the mornings and evening again.

Pattie Reaves

About Pattie Reaves

I'm a new mom and renegade fitness blogger at After the Couch. I live in Brewer with my husband, Tony, our daughter Felicity, and our two pugs, Georgia and Scoop.