Great run

It's funny that I didn't want to run today... I normally love my long run and really look forward to heading out the door. For some reason this morning I just wasn't excited about running but I knew I needed to get it done. The first mile was a slow 8:26 and I was worried that it wasn't going to get any better. I decided to forget about the watch and just run whatever was comfortable. A few miles later I was running in the 7:40's and starting to feel really good. At mile 11 I decided I would try doing the 3x1 mile reps (with a recovery mile between) that I was going to do last weekend but had trouble because of the weather. The roads weren't great today but I was able to find some relatively clear stretches. I wasn't too worried about time... I just wanted to run relaxed. The first one felt really good and I was surprised that it was a 6:46. I felt ready to go at the end of the recovery mile (7:50) and had another pretty clear straight stretch of road. This one felt a little quicker but I still wasn't pushing too hard.. I was very surprised to see a 6:19. Whoops. The recovery mile went by in 7:32 this time and I wasn't in a great spot to start the next mile.. I had to make two turns so that I was heading back home and both were pretty slippery which meant I had to slow quite a bit. I could feel this one in my legs quite a bit more than the first two.. I think I was feeling the effect of the 6:19. I finished in 6:41 which was still better than I expected it to be. I can't remember having a more enjoyable run. 17 miles (7:37 avg.)