Guys, I did it. I survived 20 miles! Woohoo! I actually ended up running longer than 3:00, but I just really wanted to hit that 20 mile mark, ya know? And, boy, it felt great when I did!
Fuel for run: GU + Nuun. I ate 3 out of the 4 GU (one every 45 minutes), and I stopped at my car 3 different times for water breaks (watermelon flavor).
Temperature at the start of my run: 23 degrees F, but it warmed up to 31 by the time I finished. And it was sunny the entire time. Perfect day for a long run!
Look how much of the snow has melted!
Maybe it will be gone by race day? Wishful thinking?
My pace started out around 10:00/mile and steadily got faster and faster as I trucked along. My RunKeeper app updates me every 5 minutes, and I was in the 9:40-9:50 range for the first 16 miles or so. Then, I sort of started to bonk out after that. Cardio-wise, I was fine, but my legs were so tired and kind of achy. My final few miles were around 9:55, which is still faster than I started out, so I was happy.
I finished 20 miles in 3:18 (9:54 pace), and I definitely had 6 more miles in me. I didn’t feel awesome, but I know I could have pushed through another hour or so of running. OMG, this marathon is SO SOON!
And, of course, I celebrated 20 miles with a red velvet cupcake (and a protein shake and hot bar)!
My friends at PRO Compression are hosting a sweet giveaway right now! Two winners will each receive a $150 shopping spree toward anything on their website.
Here’s how to enter (there are two ways): 1) Use the code CC15 for 40% off anything on PRO Compression or 2) enter for free on the homepage at www.procompression.com. There will be a popup that allows you to enter there for free immediately. The giveaway goes from today through March 26, 2015. Official and legal rules found here: http://procompression.com/cake. Good luck!
Question of the Day
Would you rather run for distance or time?
Me: Of course, there are pros and cons of both, but I actually prefer running for distance. There’s just something so satisfying about achieving a certain distance versus completing a set amount of time. Even still, I really loved running for time during my training. It was definitely fun mixing it up, but I will probably run for distance in the future.