Lance Armstrong, My Personal Cheerleader (Run 70)

Saturday morning, according to Lance Armstrong, I completed my longest workout to date. No, I don't know Mr. Armstrong personally, but via the Nike+ system, every time you log your "longest workout to date," Mr. Armstrong's voice comes through your iPod headphones* to tell you that you have completed your longest workout to date, and, of course, congratulations.

I had a hit-or-miss training week, so actually completing my 9 mile run on Saturday was surprising. Even more surprising was that it was a great run, in which I maintained a good pace, stayed hydrated, and felt as if I could run longer (than 9 miles). Given that my race is now 10 weeks away (from today, actually), I feel confident that 13.1 miles will be doable and, dare I say, enjoyable. Saturday's run also reinforced that "time on your feet" (see my post about Run 65) actually does make a training difference. Somewhere during the past 14 weeks, I have become a runner.

*I do not actually use the standard Apple-issue iPod headphones while running. I find that the earbuds get sweaty and slip out of my ears during a workout, so I tend to run with the Sennheiser PMX 70 sport headphones, which I purchased from the online Apple store. I love them for running.