Shouldn't This Be Tougher?

Perhaps I have reached the tipping point in my stated quest to "become a runner". Why do I think this? It's because I believe that after a 30km effort, the first ever for me, I should not be feeling relatively good and not sore at all two days later (and after a leg weight training session on the Monday!). And certainly not at 5:30am as I ventured out for an easy 12.5km run. But that is exactly how this morning felt: a bit slow and somewhat stiff at the beginning, but never anywhere near anything approaching pain. It was actually easy and enjoyable to run 12.5km! Shouldn't it be tougher?

I have been running all of my workouts relatively easy as 2010 has definitely become the year of base building, and perhaps I have also reached a point where my base is good enough to set new mileage milestones, both of the weekly and of the long run variety, and not feel the expected after effects to the degree that I had anticipated. It's certainly gratifying to be at this stage and I have no plans on changing anything about my training. The goal is still firm: to finish my first marathon with a smile, at a steady pace, and be able to wake up the next morning without the need for crutches or copious amounts of Ibuprofen.