More than Five in Long Beach

Today is the first day I've run more than five miles since high school, and, while staying with the 10 minute mile group won't win me any awards, it is reassuring to know that I can still push the pace without dying. Averaging under 9:30 for nearly 5 3/4 miles is pretty good for someone who really isn't in shape, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to advance to a faster group. The last mile and a half was pretty hard.

Once again I want to thank Nike for putting on these free training sessions (and Jamba Juice for providing refreshments). I've mentioned before how much I missed running with a group, but now I must add the impact of changing scenery. While running along Mother's Beach and by Joe's Crab Shack, I kept thinking how nice it is to not know exactly where I am or how much further I have to go. When I trained for cross country, I rarely knew exactly where our runs would take us...probably part of our coach's strategy to keep us going (plus it made it harder for us to take shortcuts).

My coworker is right about the accuracy (or lack-thereof) of the Garmin's elevation indicator...this run was pretty flat (and never underwater)