Ten

I finished my first 10 mile run early Monday morning, bumping up from my previous long run of 8 miles. Currently I'm doing about 25 miles a week, split up between 4 runs - with the long run usually on Saturday. Some days I do speed runs, tempo runs, or hills - but all the experts says the 'long run' each week is the most critical part to marathon training.

It's kinda strange doing a 10 mile run - mostly because it takes about 2 hours to do. It really doesn't seem that long while you're running, but at the end you realize how much distance you've covered and how long you were gone. It was only about 70 degrees when I started around 6:30am - but by 8:00 it was getting warm. By my scale I lost 3 pounds during the run - aggressive sweating to say the least.

Also, I run along a trail down by the river - but it might as well be a zoo for all the wildlife I came across. Here's what crossed my path this morning:

• 1 wild turkey (the animal, not the liquor)
• 4 white-tailed deer
• 1 giant turtle, the size of a football
• 1 tiny turtle
• 1 garter snake
• 1 aging grandma in pink tights carrying hand weights

If I see a bear, I'm finding a new route. That's just not cool.