5 miles in 56:50

i finished my 5 mile run friday without any problems. 56:50 is a pretty slow pace...11:22 per mile. my smartcoach slow pace is 10:10...but i read a post on runnersworld.com where a guy wrote that he trained with elite kenyan distance runners before and that it wasn't unusual for them to run several 11-12 minute pace miles at the beginning of their long runs...somebody else wrote to go as slow as you need to as long as you make the distance and feel comfortable. sounded good to me...so i kept it slow and easy.

i ran along the C&O canal towpath...which is nice and flat. the towpath surface is mostly hard packed gravel...which is uneven in some places...with loose rocks all around. my feet were a bit sore from the uneven surface...but not too bad.

the temperature was above 40...finally above freezing. it sounds strange to say, but 40 felt really good.

i gotta say that finishing the longest run of my life feels pretty good...it definitely gave me a confidence boost...i made half the race distance! i think getting from 5 miles to 10 miles will be alot harder than getting to 5...but i know i have what it takes to get there as long as i stick to my training schedule.