Go Kate(s)

My alarm clock went off multiple times this morning starting at 5:45am to wake me up for my routine run with the Heartbreak Hill Striders. I jumped out of bed to turn off the fourth alarm and immediately climbed back into bed for a bit of extra warmth and relaxation. I hope Pete wasn't waiting outside for me with yellow Powerade and bananas because I didn't actually get out of bed until after 10am! My apologies, Pete!

After only six hours of procrastinating, I laced up my Asics. Kate decided to join me on my long run today. We took the D-line outbound to the Woodland stop and ran along the actual Boston Marathon route. We stopped for a quick drink at the Fire Station on the corner of Washington and Commonwealth and pressed on towards the finish line in Copley Square.

Heartbreak Hill was a cinch this afternoon! I usually have to trick myself into thinking that Newton's "rolling hills" are a piece of cake, but I managed to tackle them with ease because I had such a positive attitude today. I'm learning more and more that running is a total mind game. I'm confident that my body is ready for the challenge, but I still need to train my brain to withstand five hours of running. I really struggled with the hills last week because I perceived them to be much more difficult than they actually are. It's important to remember that running a marathon is a challenging but manageable goal.

I was tempted to post a map of my running route today, but I didn't want anyone to see where Katherine and Pete live. During my run, I decided to pay them a quick visit. As long as Katherine doesn't read this post, she'll be surprised to find a nice, sweaty note on her Mercury Mystique in the morning!

Kate and I turned left onto Beacon Street and continued to run towards Coolidge Corner. My running partner turned right at the Wine Cellar, while I ran towards Kenmore Square. I passed Eastern Standard and dodged the crazy, Christmas shoppers as I flew by the shops on Boylston Street. It's nice running in the city because of the many distractions, but it's important to beware of oncoming traffic. It worries me to see runners with their Ipods in the city. Anyhow, I ran to the Arlington stop, wandered around City Sports for a few minutes, and rushed home to some chicken noodle soup from the New England Soup Factory.

Today was my longest run ever at ten miles! I'd also like to congratulate Kate for hitting the 200 mile mark this afternoon! Go Kate(s)!