Twenty Miles, Baby!
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Marathon
Despite the month off from training, I finished twenty miles this morning! The last long run I did was only 13 miles, so I added seven today (a no-no), and I seem to be recovering well. No asthma attack and I felt really strong right up until about mile 18, then my thigh muscles started feeling it a little. I only ran 1 minute out of every 3, but I still finished the first thirteen miles 26 minutes faster than I did them in June. I got up at 4:00, ate breakfast and stretched, and then made sure to eat something every three miles, and alternated between water and Gatorade.

The most amazing thing was that I actually had fun! Aside from the 5K finish at the 2002 Danskin Triathlon, I don't remember ever enjoying running. All of my self-talk was positive and encouraging, until somewhere in mile 18 where I said, "This sucks," and "This is killing me." But even then, I turned it around and finished on a high note.

I knew this was a pivotal workout. If I couldn't finish it, there was going to be little chance of me being able to finish the race in October because I'm running out of chances to catch up when I miss training. Plus, the 20 mile mark signifies some kind of barrier in my mind. Once I've done 20, I don't see any reason why I won't finish 26. (I have heard, though, that the last six miles feel completely different than the first twenty.) I need to work on speed now. I need to be able to maintain a 14-minute per mile pace for the first 20 miles in order to avoid being bussed over a portion of the course once one of the bridges opens to traffic. That, more than finishing, is going to be the real challenge.

Overall, I would call today a really successful day!