Hitting double digits for the first time

the 8am group

the 9am group

Today the half-marathon group put in their first double-digit training session:  10 miles. Not only did they walk or run 10 miles, they were 10 HILLY miles. We started up a hill within the first half mile, and the hills kept coming. We then ran down two steep hills, just to add in a bit more fun (along with some very loud complaining from our quads). The last half-mile was as flat as it gets in Vermont.

Nearly everyone is nervous about covering 10 miles. It seems like 10 miles is a whole lot longer than 9 miles, even though as my friend Mandy likes to say:  "you just run 1 mile. 10 times."

Wrapping your head around 10 miles is daunting. It's not quite 10 miles from my house to Dorset, but that seems like a long way. It's 3 miles to the grocery store, but I never think about running to the grocery store; I drive to the grocery store. Even bicyling 10 miles seems like a good amount of exercise.

Today we ran or walked 10 miles and when we're back inside Cornerstone, talking about the route, the hills, the sleet, the hail, the icy marble sidewalks and the slippery dirt roads; 10 miles doesn't seem so far.

We have 4 more weeks in our half-marathon training schedule, and now that we've covered 10 miles, 13.1 miles seems reachable. In fact, today Lilibeth asked:  "What are we going to train for next?" - and this was before we started off on our 10 mile jaunt.

These ladies are strong mentally and physically, they're having fun, and they're putting in their miles. After they finish the half-marathon on April 1st, 'next' is whatever they want it to be.