Today I did my first long run since the half marathon and it felt really good. I started out at a pretty easy pace and it seemed like each mile was faster as I went along. I settled into around 7:45 pace after about 4 miles and heart rate was staying below 70% which is what I wanted to do. This pace is faster than my normal easy pace but my heart rate is the same as it has been for other long runs. I think this is a result of two things: 1. better conditioning 2. better weather. Here in the midwest we have had very hot and humid fall so we are just starting to benefit from better running weather. Today it was 50 degrees and a misty rain. I feel like I have done a good job of recovering from the half marathon so I am going to get back into normal training. I am going to try to increase my mileage and sprinkle in some faster runs. I am looking at two more races this fall before the winter sits in. I am planning a 10k in early Nov and a 5k in early Dec. I ran my PRs in these races a couple of years ago and I want to compare my conditioning now to what it was when I set the PRs. 10 miles, 1:18:49, 7:53 avg, HR avg 151 | 