The Long Run I'm Not Calling A "Long Run"...

So technically 10 miles could be considered a long run. Technically. But since I stopped several times to stretch and hydrate I didn't feel too bad about ignoring my doctor's "no long run" orders. Overall the run was great (only a little painful), but I think my endurance level for time on my feet has really suffered because of all the reduced mileage weeks. I hope I will be able to build up enough endurance with swimming to help off-set the decreased running endurance in time for Chicago (which is in 35 days)...

I also think the fatigue I felt was exacerbated by the humidity...

I was silently complaining about the humidity during my run this morning because my running singlet was drenched and sticking to my stomach. Which, while great for highlighting my 2-pack abs, was really annoying. But, although running in humid Summer weather mostly sucks, there are a few things that could possibly be seen as positives:

 Things I Love & Hate About Humidity...

1. Humidity makes us all sweat:
I normally sweat a lot when I run but when it's really humid outside many of my running friends sweat more than usual so it balances the scales and makes me feel less like I just came out of a steam room fully clothed.

2. Humidity makes us all slower:
The fact that I can blame my slow running on something other than the fact that I am a slow runner is pretty amazing.

3. Humidity promotes morning running (sometimes):
It's a lot easier to convince my friends who normally run in the evening to run in the morning with me now. All I need to do is show them the projected humidity % and they usually agree that an early morning run is better. Sadly sometimes it's just as humid in the morning...

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During the run I tuned into my podcasts again. They have become my audio treat of choice for the past few runs. Today's podcast episodes were from the Marathon Training Academy...

It's always inspirational to hear Angie & Trevor talk about their running journeys. On one of the episodes Angie talked about running back-to-back marathons. The recap of the races was awesome (I love how honest and down-to-earth they both are) but what stuck with me the most was a song that they played at different times during the episode, which subsequently became the latest (on repeat) addition to my song crush playlist...

"Keep the earth below my feet. For all my sweat, my blood runs weak.

Let me learn from where I have been. Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn"

What's your latest song crush? 

What podcasts are you currently tuning in to?

How do you define your "long run" (what distance or time duration)?