Going longer

This weekend I pushed the boundary again — another double-digit run in the books. I clocked 11.13 miles in 1:30:02, averaging an 8:05 pace. More importantly, I broke through a mental barrier by tackling my big loop course for the first time. That route takes me 5.75 miles away from home, which means once you’re out there, there’s no easy exit — you either run it back or you’re in for a very long walk.

It couldn’t have been a better fall day. After the first couple of miles, I settled into a rhythm and just enjoyed being out there. The pace was steady with a slight negative split — starting around 8:20–8:15 per mile and finishing with a few miles under 8:00. By the time my watch hit 1:30, I still felt strong and smooth, even though my heart rate had crept up to 171 bpm — higher than expected for how relaxed the effort felt.

At that point, I decided to call it. No need to push into the red and risk carrying fatigue forward. Still, I might have waited a little too long to back off because Sunday’s 3.4 miles at 8:46 pace felt sluggish, and this morning’s 2.3 miles at 9:22 pace were slower yet. Hopefully by tomorrow I’ll be ready for an easy five and a proper reset.

Overall, my training intensity has been pretty low. I’m not doing much speed work, and the only time my heart rate really spikes is during these longer efforts when cardiac drift takes over. Lately, I haven’t had the urge to run fast — I just enjoy running long. There’s something about settling in, finding that flow, and seeing how far the legs can go.

If I keep stacking mileage and building endurance, I know the speed will come when it’s ready. I’ll probably jump into a race or two in November, but the long-term plan is simple: make it through the winter strong, maintain or build my weekly mileage, keep the weight trending the right direction, and set myself up to really go after it in 2026.

There’s still a lot of work ahead, but this weekend’s run felt like a real step forward — not just in distance, but in confidence.  Sometimes you just have to put yourself out in no man's land and stop giving yourself the easy way out to initiate a breakthrough.