saturday was another big running day for me. i ran 22.5 miles. again this set another personal record in the distance department. the training group opted to start at 7:30, instead of the usual early time, because the gun for the real marathon will go off at 7:32 am. why 7:32? i'm not sure but they didn't ask me so i'll just start when they tell me too.
we ran a shorter version on the actual course and i thought i felt pretty confident that we had run many of the miles in previous training runs. well, we had but not all together. i didn't realize that the first 15 miles would be jam packed with hills. the first 9 miles are through the hills of midtown and then the course does a loop through downtown. i suppose i didn't realize how many hills there actually were downtown. it's amazing the things you notice when you're going slower, and on foot, then when you're riding in your car.
at first, the thought of this challenging course scared me but after some time to think about it - bring it on. i know that i feel the strongest in the first 10 miles, hills and all. the next part of the course i need to take it easy and conserve energy through downtown so that the last 11.2 miles i can dominate. the last part of the course is out and back down riverside. this is my turf. this is where i run. i know this part and i should feel strong and secure there. there will be no surprises. i will have loved ones on the side to cheer me on. this is where the real marathon begins. a wise runner told me "the key to surviving a marathon is to run the first 20 miles but the real race is the last 6.2". after the last several long runs, i know exactly what he meant and will use his advise to push me across the finish line.
immediately after my run, i was tired. i was shaky. in fact, the hardest part of the entire run was the walk to my car. and i'm not kidding. i, of course, hobbled into starbucks to get my iced coffee. the lady quickly made a comment about running and asked me how far. i told her and i could tell she was impressed but i think she really thought i was crazy. i think she really thought that i looked like i could collapse at any moment and i was still getting coffee. truth be told, once i got home, sat down for a few minutes and sipped on my coffee, i felt a lot better. my left achilles had stretched and was no longer making me cringe to walk. this is the first time i've really felt a specific pain while running. and this might make me concerned except for the fact that it actually makes me feel very lucky and fortunate. i've put a lot of miles on my feet and this is the first time they've had something to say about it. and when i woke up on sunday morning, i was scared to get out of bed. i wondered if i would hurt. but guess what? i felt great. i mean, i was a little sore but overall, i felt great. it reminded me why i've trained for so long. training is just as much about the recovery as it is the actual run.
my friday nights are usually spent pretty low key. a pasta dinner, family time and to bed early. well, if you remember that this friday was completely different. it was the opposite of low key. while i had a good time, i think this was a direct cause to the pain in my ankles, heals and feet. while, i love my brown boots and i think i looked cute, i don't think it was a smart choice for me to go walk everywhere and up a million stairs in those beauties. i also think that after so many miles it is normal for your feet to be tired. uncomfortable. maybe ache too but not like they did on saturday. it just proved to me that my normal routine is working. i'm preparing my body correctly. the most important thing in distance running is being able to listen to your body. well, and being just as mentally prepared and you are physically. i've had several months to work on this and i think i'm doing pretty darn good. for the next two weeks i'm only going to think positive thoughts about the route 66. i'm only going to surround myself with positive, encouraging, supportive people. i'm going to drink boat loads of water and regularly eat bananas. i'm going to position myself for success. when i cross that finish line, regardless of my time, i want to feel like i gave it everything. i want to put it all out there. i want to know that i couldn't have run one minute faster. i want to meet the beast. i want to overcome the beast. i want to smile and cry and be completely delirious after crossing the finish line. i know that i will cry. i know i'll be delirious. i know that i do not know exactly how i'll feel but i can tell you that i'm excited for that feeling. my heart is racing and my palms are getting sweaty (gross i know. i'm sorry.) just talking about it. i have favor - please include me in your prayers. please pray that i use what God gave me to the best of my ability. please pray that i remain strong and uninjured for the next two weeks. please pray that i'm a strong, confident runner who remembers to use the wisdom and knowledge i've gained over the past several months. and if you're in the area, stop by and cheer on some runners. we love it.
at first thought, running seems like it would be considered a free sport. then i started and was quickly proven wrong. running has meant so much to me, much more than i ever imagined.
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