My first 16 miles ever!

Today I ran 16 miles. They were mostly good, high quality miles, even though the average time is much slower. I achieved 2 very important goals: I ran at a good, strong pace and I have no physical pain.  I know that I should have run at a slower pace, but I am trying to improve my form and run more strongly.  Most importantly, I want to do all those things and still feel fresh and lovely at the end!
I decided to do the run on a treadmill for a specific reason:  I wanted to make sure that I would do a good quality run.  Now whilst this might be a false positive, the treadmill has proven to be my friend in the past, and for me the issue is more psychological:  if I can do it on the treadmill, I can do it anywhere. Sixteen miles took me 3:06:21. Most of the miles were pretty fast, but since I was running on the treadmill I thought this strategy (of running faster) would make up for the  missing elements found in an outdoor run. I ran consistently, and when I needed to, I walked for a minute to recover.  That is actually a very useful strategy, as it allows me to come back at the same or even a faster speed for a prolonged time (not unlike a tempo run).  Given how good I felt afterwards, I think this might be the way forward for me to get a bit faster.
I am still in awe of the fact of how good I felt/feel after that.  Touch wood, nothing hurts.  Whilst I felt a bit tired, that was all, and I am so grateful.  Had I run outside, I am not sure if I would have had as good a run, but I needed this confirmation of where my training is at (given the last 2 weeks).  My next long run is 13 miles, and I will be doing it as another half marathon next Sunday.  When I got to mile 13 today, I still felt very good, considering that I was fading at mile 12 in my last half.  So, let's see what happens!
My other news is that I have decided to watch all 80 Boston Bruins ice hockey games this season.  So, having watched the 2 opening matches in Prague on tele, only 78 (plus playoffs) to go.  I am ordering a new shirt, and will probably go with Bergeron's name on the back.  I believe that the Stanley Cup is coming home to Boston!
                            

                                                                                                                                                          
Monica (an ex-colleague from Italy) and I on our way to a Bruins game in April this year.

The Boston Bruins face-off with the New York Rangers.