I DID IT!
Today was a SUPER special day! I received a totally unexpected Thank You gift this morning which left me perma-smiling throughout the remainder of the afternoon. My cheeks are still recovering. Yow! After flying through my day in complete euphoric shock I HAD to be sure to finish on a high note. I finally sat down and mapped out a few additional blocks onto the Cheviot Hills Loop in order to extend the route to 5 miles.
My unfamiliarity with the new streets (in conjunction with tired and *still* sore legs) actually made my run feel much longer than it was. I'm sure once I get better acquainted with the longer loop it won't seem so far. I also felt super slow and was completely surprised to see that my actual pace was a lot faster than I had expected.
A special day indeed! Double w00t!