Hot eight miles

I know that I have said this before, but sometimes I just have to push through the hard part of the run, to get to the good feeling at the end.  Today's run was supposed to be an easy 8 miles.  The problem was that there was nothing easy about it.  It was HOT out today.  (Well, hot by Wisconsin standards....about 70 degrees.)  I don't know how I'm going to handle doing my long runs outside in this weather for my marathon training.  Last summer I didn't mind, but I was only running 2 miles at a time.  Now, I am going to be tackling double digits at least once a week.

When I started today's run, I really thought that it would be an enjoyable jaunt through Marshfield.  I was excited because I don't usually get to run there and I was looking forward to the change of pace.  But, I soon realized that it wasn't going to be an easy run.  My legs were tired, but body was tired, and my hips started feeling tight after a couple miles.  I actually thought about cutting it short and just doing 6 miles, but I knew that wasn't going to help me toward my ultimate goal. 

So, here are the stats for the 8 miles:
Mile 1:  10:03
Mile 2:  10:00
Mile 3:  10:19
Mile 4:  9:55
Mile 5:  9:54
Mile 6:  10:17
Mile 7:  10:08
Mile 8:  10:25

Total time:  1:21:04 Average pace: 10:06
The last time I ran an 8 mile training run: 1:21:09
At least I'm consistent.  I'd rather see improvement.

I was so tired at the end that I literally just ran 2 laps around the parking lot until I heard my Garmin beep the end of the 8th mile.  I desperately wanted the run to be finished.  But, I'm glad I stuck with it and finished it.  It is all leading me toward that marathon finish line.

Do you guys have to power through your workouts?  What do you do when you want to quit?