I’m noticing that my runs are getting faster. Case in point, my long run this past weekend averaged about a 9:30, which is around my 5k time. I had planned to run slower for my long runs, but it just felt like a natural pace, so I went with it.

Then on my Monday run (these check-ins just keep getting done later and later in the week…) I averaged about 9:00 a mile, even having two sub-9 minute miles. It’s the first time I actually noticed a real difference in my runs. It’s really surprising how sudden my improvement is, especially since I haven’t been training for speed at all.

But hey, I guess this is a testimony of sticking to my training! In related (read: contradictory) news… Emily and I are taking a step back this week and replacing our long run with one that’s 5-6 miles. I’ve been reading about over training, and I thought it would be a good idea to give ourselves a little break. We won’t be skipping any runs, but cutting down the long run means we’ll run about 5 miles less this week, which will be a nice break. I think this is the first time for both Em and I that we won’t be sticking to the schedule.