Lessons from the long run

In many ways today was a perfect day to skip running. (Boys, please step away for this part, ok?) My period just started, my energy was low, and I had cramps. But today was the perfect day to run long because the weather was beautiful and I had an easy schedule for the rest of the day. So after some procrastination (it's amazing what you can find to do when you're avoiding starting a long run!), I set out.

Some notes from the run:

• Because I was feeling sub-par, I started slow and stayed slow. This worked well. Actually, I told myself I could walk any time I wanted to, and then ended up not walking at all!
• At mile 12 I changed my outer shirt. This I will do again, as it felt amazingly refreshing.
• At mile 12 I also reset my Garmin to 0. From previous long runs I know that seeing the big mile numbers on the screen make me feel discouraged. (You'd think it would be encouraging, but for me it's not.) So after 2 miles, I could see the 2 on the screen and think, "Oh I only have 4 miles to go. I can do that!!!"
• Stopping by home is dangerous, but it was how I needed to do today's run. But it's great to have a home base with the stuff you need. My friend Donna is running 20 tomorrow, and she's parking her car (with all her supplies) at a park. I'm gonna copy this when I do my next long run.
• I've done a fairly good job today of eating in moderation. Normally long runs trigger an "I can eat EVERYTHING I want to" reaction which causes my mood to tank.
  

That's it for now. Think I'm gonna sleep GREAT tonight!