Argh Hills!

It's official: I've signed up for the Maine Marathon. 153 days to go. The weather is warming up, almost as if we jumped right from winter to summer, but I know it's going to get a lot worse by the time training gets intense. Hydration is going to be a HUGE issue. After doing a bit of research, I'm planning on picking up 20 oz. Amphipod hand-held water bottle. I can't take the water belt any more. I put in on for a 5-miler last week, and was surprised by how bulky and uncomfortable it was. Did I really run an entire marathon with that thing? I'm over it. I'm hoping the handheld option will be better.

 I'm excited about the Nike+ Running App I've been using to track my runs. It's free, and for the data-usage-conscious, it uses maybe 2 MB/hour. It provides SO many stats, and the leadership board is kind of addictive and encouraging. Definitely recommended.

Today's run was the longest one yet this year - 6 miles. Since the last marathon, I've relocated to central VT, where it's incredibly beautiful and there's a lot less cars, but WAY hillier. I've been taking on this route towards Sugarbush, and the hills are RIDICULOUS, and kind of just keep going for miles and miles. It almost makes me miss that one little half-mile hill on Battery Street in Burlington. One way or another, I'm going to have to make my peace with hills.

On the way back down. This hill just keeps going forever.

I was happy to get in the 6 miles today, but not ecstatic about my pace. I'm not going to make excuses. My fastest 5-miler so far was 9:07/mile, last Tuesday. Since then, I haven't been able to get back to it. I really want to be able to do 5 miles in under 45 minutes, and I think I can make it happen - particularly if I keep training on these hills!

I do know that mindset is more important than anything. The mantra I am repeating to myself, which admittedly was most prominent in my mind during the 9-minute miles, is "mile 20 is going to be way harder than this." It somehow puts things in perspective, knowing that the more I push myself now, the more it will pay off later.

Have I mentioned that the "official" training doesn't even start until June?