Day 1. 238 To Go.

Day 1. 238 to go. So it begins.

Assigned Workout: Run 10 miles, steady pace (goal faster than 8:30/mi, minimize positive splits).
Morning Weigh In: 142.6 <- possibly the highest in a long while. :(
Weather: GORGEOUS morning, 78 degrees, 78% humidity, but windy as hell.
Location: Virginia Beach Oceanfront north to First Landing State Park and back.
Pre Run Fuel: 2 cups black coffee and a banana

So I drove down to the oceanfront for my solo long run. As I got out of the car and fired up my Garmin the battery read DEAD. I had it on the charger but I guess the connection didn't engage. I went into a mini panic but realized my Strava app on my phone had GPS capability and a workout recording mode. I'd never used it before, but how difficult could it be. Crisis averted.

I hit start on Strava and off I went with a climb up Rudee Inlet bridge. At the crest I had to pause and glimpse at the beautiful sunrise. I am obsessed with sunrises and sunsets these days.

As I approach mile 1 I have another crisis. For whatever reason I decided to try wearing compression socks this morning. They were basically cutting off blood supply to my calves and feet and I was miserable with numbness. So I hit the pause again, plop down on a curb, and peel off the socks and stuff them in a nearby trash can. I start off again northward into the wind on the boardwalk.

I had a beautiful view to my right.

Somewhere between miles 3 and 4 I look down at my phone. It says I have only gone 0.9 miles. Apparently I did not un-pause the app when I re-started my run. @#$!

Third crisis of the run. What now? I need to show my coach I ran 10 miles. I need data.

So 10 miles it will be. I hit start and continued on to the park.

I felt pretty good. My pace wasn't stellar, but faster than 8:30/mi. Took a Honey Stinger gel and a few sips of water at mile 5.5 and continued on.

Entry to the trail

I hadn't planned on going on the trail, but I gad to add some distance to get my 10. So I go down the trail for a mile of two, and turn back.

Just as I was about to clear the park, my FOURTH crisis occurred.

KABOOM.

Down I go after tripping over a root.

Lovely.

Ouch.

Fortunately, it was a minor fall, and I scraped my knee a bit but felt fine. My ego was bruised more than my body. Awesome.

Finished up on the boardwalk.

Something was wrong with the app on mile 9. A 6:59/mi pace? In my dreams. No way. Ha ha!

Almost 14 miles today! The longest I've done in a while.

Post Run Fuel: a mango, coconut and orange smoothie I bought for a million bucks on the boardwalk.

Finished up my day with some sunset yoga on the golf course. Yeah, the GOLF course. No one was playing.

Finishing up with squats, push ups, and sit ups before bed.