Uphill Both Ways

I swear San Juan Road is uphill both ways. Today I ran 12 miles on San Juan while John did 10 running up to Dobbins Overlook. It took 3.5 miles before I settled in this morning. Up to then I was noticing each body ache and wondering why the heck do I want to train for a marathon. Its hard work. After some self-talk that training for a marathon is hard for everyone my aches became non-existent and the run wasn't quite so hard after that.

San Juan is at South Mountain and is rolling hills with supposedly more down on the way out. I kept track of my pace making sure I didn't run them too fast. 3 years ago I did a group run on that same road and ran 8:30's on the way out and completely died (and cried) on the way back. It was my first lesson on pacing, running your own pace and managing a long run. The following week I went out to prove I could do it. I haven't run San Juan since and have not forgot the experience from the first time so I was very conservative. The run back is uphill and I was able to finish strong.