1 down, 15 to go

I successfully completed my first week of marathon training. This past week I ran four times including an 8 mile long run, my first ever tempo run, a before work morning run, and an hour run with hills. Add to that 3 days of Bikram and I would say we're starting off with a bang! I did my long run on Sunday night at White Rock and it started off miserably. The weather was nice but a little warm and the scenery was beautiful but my earbuds kept popping out of my ear and I just wasn't feeling it. The mile markers there are a little spotty so I planned on slowing down a bit and just running between 72 and 80 minutes. I'm pretty sure I started off too fast which is probably why I wasn't feeling it but around 32 minutes in I slowed myself down and it just clicked. My pace was better, it wasn't as crowded, I got to a beautiful part of the lake that was mostly bridges over the water and my ipod was alternating between John Mayer and Third Day songs. From then on I loved it. I timed myself at a clearly marked two mile distance and was holding 9 minute miles which is about 40 seconds slower than my goal pace. I'm pretty sure this is how fast you are supposed to do long runs but I will reconsult the four hour marathon book to make sure.
So far I am pretty happy with my progress but hope I can continue fitting in all my runs and not get hurt. I'm also nervous that I am not going to make the pace I am shooting for. I'm trying not to focus on that too much so I don't get overly anxious and freak myself out. Plus I still have 15 weeks and a pretty solid training plan so I just need to relax and get it done. Go team!