yesterday i tried to run 5 miles.

mike has been on this schedule for the past few weeks where he tries to go on a longer run on saturday. he typically runs 3 or 4 miles a few times during the week, but wanted to try to up his distance. i haven't been around the last few saturdays to join him, but yesterday i thought i would give it a try. i've been trying to run 1.5 to 3 miles a couple of times during the week. the longest distance i'd gone before was a little less than 3.5 miles when training for the 5k. this past week i hadn't been doing very well with the running - i had to run on the treadmill on monday because of the weather and when i went out on wednesday, my legs really hurt. i've had problems in the past with shin splints but had been doing better with new running shoes and running outside.

yesterday morning i mapped out a route that would be either 4 miles or 5 miles, depending on where i turned around. i started off with reese, and we were doing pretty good for the first mile or so. then my shin splints started to bother me again. we stopped for a minute and i did some stretches, but really wanted to try to keep going. once i reached the end of mile 2 i had to decide if i wanted to turn around or keep going on to the 5 mile route. i was feeling a little better so i decided to just try the 5 mile and just see what happened. after mile 2.5 i was going uphill and was really struggling, so i ended up walking for a little while. i was able to start back up running again at the top of the hill, and made it most of the way home, only having to stop to walk one other time for a few blocks. i love running with the dog, he helps keep me motivated.

in the end, i ended up running 4.25 miles out of 5 and run for just under an hour (58 mins to be exact). i was really proud of myself! when i first started running i could barely make it down the block, and now i can run for an hour! i'm hoping that i can keep working on my pace and my distance, i'm starting to actually like this running thing.

maybe next saturday i'll be able to make it the full 5 miles...