8 Miles!!! That's right!

I really wanted to run 8 miles on Saturday, but ended up only doing 4 because I was so hot.  Tonight I set out to run 8 miles, and I did it!!!  My time was also better than I thought it was going to be.  The first 4 were pretty rough.  Mentally I was rather tired.  I had planned out my run so that I could stop by a park that has a water fountain (that park I found on Saturday) around 4.5 miles.  I figured that would be the perfect spot to stop since it allowed for a water break about half way through my run and even better the stop was just past half way.  For me, running is all a big mental game.  Whenever I hit my half way mark, I tell myself, "It's all downhill from here."  So after the water stop, it was even less than half way!  That renewed my energy.  I only stopped running to wait for cross walks (which I stop my Garmin at those points, just because that's what I do) and to get water.  The last mile and a half of my run I was counting down the distance.  I don't normally like to look at Garmy, but I needed to know how much farther until the alarm was going to sound.  I've noticed that when I'm tired I tend to talk to myself in the third person.  Usually it's in my head, but I have caught myself talking aloud when I am especially tired.  I usually say something like, "Come on Jes; you've got this!"  or "You can do this baby!"  or "____ miles is nothing...  You can do that in your sleep!"  The biggest push for me is telling myself, for example, "If you are ever going to get in that 8 mile run, you are going to have to make it through this past 6 all over again!"  That seems to make the 2 extra miles not seem so bad.  What do you say to motivate you when you're running?  Oh, and ladies, what is your take on cars honking, cat calls, etc.?  I have to admit, I enjoy a car honk.  It gives me a little pep in my step to know that someone has noticed the hard work I'm doing.  Cat calls are... okay.  The one thing I do not really appreciate is hearing, 'Hey Baby!" or "Hey Sexy!" or some less polite terms of endearment that I have heard. 

Okay, here's the breakdown.  It gets a little squirly in the middle since I hit lap on my Garmy at the water stop.  I have the Garmin set to lap every mile:

Mile 1:  10:22
Mile 2:  10:10
Mile 3:  9:37 (I knew that water break was getting close)
Mile 4:  9:51
0.35 miles:  10:09 pace
Water stop
Next mile:  10:05
Next mile:  10:03
Next mile:  10:10
Last 0.65 miles:  9:46 pace

Overall time:  1:20:14; Average pace:  10:01

While running, I thought my pace was closer to 11 minutes per mile.  Woo-hoo!

Tomorrow I'm supposed to run with Caitlin after work.  That should be nice.  I hope you all are having a great Monday!