I wasn't in love with the idea of running 20 miles for my long run 2 weeks before show time, so I adjusted my running plan. I decided to run 20 again today and start the tapering next week. My goal for this run was to run the 20 without any stops. I've had potty break/water break/etc stops on all my other long runs, and I wanted to see if I could run the distance without stopping. I was happy that I was able to pull it off. The weather was chilly in the beginning, and around mile 12 I had to take the sleeves off my jacket. I ran in place for 12 seconds while MR helped zip them off the jacket. I'm not counting that as a stop even though I did stop my watch. I love the windbreaker jacket with removable sleeves. I bought it at an expo 1.5 years ago, and have enjoyed having it ever since. I'd recommend one to any outdoor runner. And as an added bonus, if you happen to be collecting things as you run, it will hold up to11 reflective road bumps that have been shoveled off the road with an ice plow and are waiting for a new home in your treasure box. MR rode along as my waterboy the whole way. We took a new route on base and I got to run up to and around the air field. They'd actually put packed mulch down on part of the running path. It was a nice change to run on the spongy surface for a mile. I was ready to get back on pavement by the end, but it was a good change for a while. Most of the run at the beginning was uphill. Then there were some ups & downs. By mile 14, I was in a bad mood and ready to just finish. There was a big hill in front of me, and I knew I still had 4-6 miles left on my run. (I wasn't sure how long it would be to get back). I was using a gu every 5 miles, and I still had a mile to go until my next pick me up. It felt like I was going to have a long hour ahead of me. BUT something magical happened around mile 15.5.... I'm not sure exactly what it was; I think it was a combination of a few things. The path started a nice almost 2 mile descent, so it was all a gradual downhill, I used a gu with 2X caffeine in it (the previous 2 were not caffeinated), and the running fairy came and sprinkled running magic on my legs. All of a sudden, I felt like there was an electric voltage running through my legs and I had all the energy in the world. My legs felt strong and I wasn't tired at all. It was amazing. My pace increased and I was running sub 9 minute miles. I felt it wearing off a little when the road leveled out, and by mile 19 I could tell I was starting to run out of magic a little, but I still managed an 8:38 for my last mile. It was amazing!! I hope I can find that magic running fairy again during the race. I'm hoping she's 6 feet tall with long legs and blonde hair. Avg pace 9:36 for all 20 miles.
Saw the movie "courageous" at the theater. A local church group had rented out the 1:00 show and we were offered free tickets from a lady I work with who goes to that church. It was an amazing movie, and it was neat to share the experience with some co-workers & their families. Plus, free popcorn refills. Salty popcorn is so tasty after a long run.
| 