10 With Stephanie's Group

10.39 miles, 1:22:37, 7:56 pace (9:14 including breaks), Max HR = 155, Avg HR = 130

The bulk of the Kenyan Way runners are training for the Houston Marathon, and this is their longest run weekend similar to the 24 mile run I did in Birmingham. But since I'm only scheduled for ten miles today, I joined Stephanie and her group. Stephanie was my coach at Power in Motion, and she's been there for me ever since to offer encouragement and advice. So I was particularly excited that it worked out for me to join her.

The one drawback to her group runs is that everyone takes extended water breaks and my legs sometimes get a little cramped. I like to take a few ounces of water and push forward. It makes me feel a little more confident that I can handle the long distance since I don't really stop, but in reality I'm pretty sure a two minute break every three or four miles has a negligible effect from a fitness perspective as compared to running continuously.

8:37, 8:06, 8:20, 8:11, 8:12, 7:51, 7:47, 8:03, 8:09, 8:09, 1:08 for .15 (7:33 pace)