20 Miles & Going Strong…
I ran 20 miles this past Sunday. It was my longest run yet… and it’s the longest one scheduled before the big race. And it went great!
In fact, I was worried it went too well. I had expected 20 miles to be a test, but it turned out just to be another long run. Sure it took a long time… and my legs & (especially) my feet reminded me afterwards that they had gone more than their fair share of miles. But it wasn’t mentally tough. I didn’t need to practice giving myself pep talks or repeating encouraging phrases. I just ran until I was done. The only big difference was how big I smiled when I finished.
So does this mean I’m ready for the marathon? I hope so. From now until the race, my training tapers down. No more long runs to test myself with. I have to just relax and believe that my training to this point has prepared me. But relaxing has never been my strong suit. In the back of my mind, I’m tempted to squeeze in a few more long runs, maybe try something closer to the full 26.2… But I guess there’s no such thing as last-minute cramming for a marathon.
So I’ll just run a little, and eat & drink & sleep (yeah, right!) a lot.
18 days & counting…
