So I planned to kick off my training week with my standard five mile treadmill run this morning. I started out at a nice comfortable 7:30 per mile pace, and about 20 minutes into the workout felt like I could maintain that level for hours; it barely felt like I was pushing at all. So on the spot I decided to stretch the run to six miles, which represented my longest one so far this year. I also started gradually picking up the pace. I ran the last minute or so at 6:40 per mile pace, and while I definitely felt like I was working hard at that point, still did not feel terribly winded.
I was not planning to ramp up my mileage much until I begin my 16-week training program in early July, but it just felt like the right thing to do this morning. I was also pleasantly surprised by how easy it felt, which is definitely a really good sign. I have to make sure not to get too far ahead of myself, but I figure throwing a few more 6-7 miles into my "pre-training" is not going to kill me--and will definitely build my confidence for the 15-20 milers I have ahead of me.