The weekend of 20
I was serious about waking up at 4am Saturday morning to get started on my 20 mile run at 5am. So serious I took some sleep aide early Friday evening.
Ha! That was a dumb idea. I didn’t wake up at 4am, I ended up passed out until 7am, but I thought ‘what the heck’ let’s try this anyway.
I made it 4 miles before calling Danny to come pick me up. If I’m having a hard time getting to the 4 mile mark, doing 20 is just a recipe for disaster. If marathon training has taught me anything at all, it’s that I must listen to my body.
So I went home, sulked for a little bit, watched the Fresno State Bulldog football team blow it and basically didn’t leave the couch much all day.
I was determined to conduct a “do-over”, so I set my alarm again for 4am.
And I got up! Miricle of all miricles! I ate, drank some coffe, gave myself some digestion time and at 5am I was off in the dark.
I was suprised at how easy the first half was. I read somewhere that in a marathon, the first 10 miles are doen with your brain, the second 10 your heart and the last 6.2 your gut. I tried to keep that in mind.
The last two miles are always the most brutal because your body isn’t used to them. I cried a couple times. It didn’t help that I got to the point in The Time Travlers Wife where Claire is describing watching her mother die. It is a beautiful section of the book and so well written and to point, but mile 19 really wasn’t a good time for me to be listening to it.
Then I was home. It was only 10am but I was ready to eat. Danny bought a Subway Sandwich and two bags of ice for my ice bath and after that I laid on the sofa the rest of the day.
I plan on doing one more 20 miler before my race, but for the next few weeks I’m running shorter long runs (12 and 8). I’m so happy the worst of the training is over!
