7 Miles on the W&OD Trail

It was a cold day with gusty winds.  The temperature was about 40(ish) and the winds were from the southwest at 10-15 mph with gusts up to 20.  Still, it was a sunny day and very crisp.  I headed out with high ambitions to run 8 or maybe even 10 miles.  I've been doing good with my new forefoot striking running and I wanted to see how far I could go.

The answer was seven miles.

I just ran out of gas... pure and simple.  This new style puts more of the running burden on the calves and I think that's part of it.  But also I seem to want to run faster with this new gait.  I was averaging around 9:10 - 9:15 where I should have been running around 9:20 - 9:30 for a long slow run. 

But I really don't mind too much.  I set a distance record for my new running style, and I suffered no ill effects as a result.  I'll gradually increase my distance over time, just as I did with my initial marathon training. 

I have no specific goal (no upcoming race) and that's a bit of a blessing but also a problem.  I don't want to push myself too much but I don't want to slack off either.  I think I enjoy training with a goal more than just training for the fun (and health) of it.  I may have to do something about that.