Was it the Cheese?

Yesterday, I went out for a run without really knowing what to expect. It was later in the day, and I had about two hours of daylight remaining. I was suppose to cover a 16 mile run, but I knew that that couldn't possibly happen last night. So I was thinking either a fast and mildly shorter run, but I wasn't feeling up for that either AND I wanted to spend as much time running in that beautiful day as I possibly could. So I just ventured out with my Garmin, hoping for the best.

Knowing that I've been eating pretty much randomly since Thursday, I wasn't expecting much. The only thing that had been consistent was the cheese ... it started off with some Apple Smoked Gouda and it ended with Sharp White Cheddar.

So I headed out, feeling as though I was trucking along. My body felt heavy and lethargic, but I felt confident that I can continue on for at least 10 miles. I was focused on my form - although my upper body was a little wriggly, I felt my foot plants had improved. After the first three miles, I finally looked at my Garmin. I was expecting to see an average pace that was slightly higher than 10 minutes per mile, but I was completely shocked by what I saw.

9:17 Minutes Per Mile.

Keep in mind, the first portion 6 miles of this course is mainly downhill, but still ... I have NEVER covered any distance greater than 7 miles at a pace like this.

I guess the speed work and tempo runs are finally paying off. Either that, or it was the cheese.


In total, I covered 10.5 miles in a bit over 98 minutes. The return trip uphill killed my average pace down to an overall average of 9:27 minutes per mile ... which is still pretty fast. I didn't even feel as though I had left a chunk of my midsection out on the course this time.

And now, in about half an hour ... I'm going to try to cover 16 miles. I'm hoping for some divine intervention right about now.