small milestones, two weeks since Marathon

I had a small running milestone of sorts today-- I ran ten miles by myself. Since all my long runs prior to the marathon were with other runners doing Team In Training, I had never really gone that far on my own. Back in 1999 I remember running 7 or 8 miles alone once. Somehow I had convinced myself that running long distances alone would be boring, and that I would only be entertained if I had someone to talk to. I loved running 3-5 miles alone, but it stopped there.

Today I was testing the waters for a half marathon in Tampa that's in two weeks. If the IT band in my knee started bothering me during the run, I wouldn't register. But although I sort of became aware of the IT band around the fourth mile of my run, I stretched a bit and it never really started hurting. I wonder if that's okay-- slight discomfort but no pain.

The weather changed during the run, but this time I was prepared. Clouds and temperatures of about sixty gave way to clear skies, wind, and a drop to the low fifties. It was very comfortable, except for the wind toward the end. Hardly anyone was out on the trail-- I think there was a 5K going on somewhere. I listened to my beloved iPod the whole way (dance music, hip hop, and reggaeton today) and generally just felt good about life.