Wow; you have students who believe women can't run? I know women continue to face barriers in sport because of people's unfounded perceptions, but I thought we had at least established a heck of a long time ago that we can run for pete's sake. That's really sad.
In any event, I find it darn impressive that you can do 10-mile run with your training consisting of only one run a week. Good for you.
Artista, my legs don't feel heavy immediately into a run, but I hit a bit of a wall at the 2-3-mile mark. Once I'm past that, I feel better; it's just a question of going past three miles. If memory serves, people have indicated in past running threads on TE that they don't feel really warmed up until they've done 3-5 miles--depending on the person. These are people who have been running a long time, so I'm not sure it necessarily gets better with time. You just get better at running through it, which is what I'm finding. I used to just give up by the time I hit three miles. Now I have at least enough stamina--although, again, it's been like pulling teeth--to get to the 5-6 mark. I know it'll keep getting better, but I'm in awe of anybody who can run an hour or more on a regular basis. It's hard work.
Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.
--Mary Anne Radmacher