Just call me Rocky at the top of the steps in Philly!!

What a sense of accomplishment I feel! I just ran 8.5 freakin miles!!! 8.5 miles!! *Arms in the air!!* I know to many of you who read this, this is an "easy run" for you...and well...good for you. But this is a big deal for me.

I have to admit. I was a little stressed about this AM. Not sure why. I have done 7 twice...adding on one more mile should be easy. But it was just NEW, that's all. Newness makes me stressed and gives me potty stomach.

We met as a group and went from the tennis center parking lot, went right into country park, went right around the back way through military park (so we had to go up a long winding hill that we NORMALLY are running DOWN when we go that way...this stressed me out a bit)...then we got to the beast.of.a.hill at the end of MP...and we got to run DOWN it! OMG , HEAVEN!! lol Then we went right back onto the CP connector, and right back into CP and back up to the tennis center. At this point we were a 5 miles and back to where we started. And at this point I stopped to fill my water botlle (for the 2nd time. I also did it around mile 3 at the visitors center at a newly found water fountain that I saw some people in another group using who were running ahead of us...YESSS!). So I filled the bottle and dumped the ice cold water on me...then filled it again. MAN I drink a lot when I run!! At least hopefully that gives me less risk of getting dehydrated!

So off I was again for 3 more. Down to lewis rec, down grease alley, across again to the visitor center loop and back to the newly found water fountain (fill 'er up)! Back across to run back over the gravel path leading up to GA again. The sucky hill behind the breakfast place was HARD and bad b/c 1) it was a hill and 2) it stunk like greasy breakfast food and burned toast. BLECK! I thought I was gonna puke. But from there it was basically downhill. I got almost to the end of GA and was already over 8 miles. Even though our coach said we could stop at 8 and walk it in,my runnig partner Ash & I decided to keep on going all the way back to our coach's car at the tennis center, and that gave us 8.5 miles! YEAH!!!!!!

SO proud of myself and all the Janes. It was cool and nice and a little humid but all in all a great run day!!! I guess I will take sucky run days on short runs...but my long run Saturday's? I like for them to be great! This one did not disappoint!