You get such a feeling of accomplishment when you increase the mileage on your long-slow days. The first time you walk 10, 12 or 16 miles is fantastic! But one of my favorite things is the taper before a long-distance event.

Today we walked just 12 miles and it felt great. The hills felt pretty big in that last lap, but that’s par for the course. We were slowing down after those last hills, then suddenly picked up the pace in the final two miles.

But the best thing is, after spending all of this time walking week after week, it’s nice to be finished so early! We were done before 11 a.m. and I feel as if I have a lot of free time. Maybe next week, since we are doing just 8 miles, Deb will let me sleep in until 7.

First lap – 57:07 – 15:01 per mile
Second lap – 57:35 – 15:09 per mile
Third lap – 58:03 – 15:16 per mile

Average for the entire distance is 15:09.

Location: Sharon Woods Park. Each loop is 3.8 miles. Temps in the mid 40s. Cloudy and breezy in spots.

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