My marathon is in less than 3 weeks!!!
My excitement has returned!
I was getting a bit nervous especially since I went 2 weeks without a significant long run due to racing. Yesterday I did another 20-miler and it went amazingly well!
Here are the details: First mile was at about 8:30 pace - I always start off nice and slow. At mile 2 I had already sped up to 8:15! The next several miles I was very consistent at that pace. By mile 7 I had sped up again to about 8:00 but I didn't really notice the difference so I just kept it there for another several miles. Mile 13 had me at about 7:45!! I swear it wasn't intentional. My legs have this negative-split mentality that comes quite natually. Suits me just fine! I kept it between 7:45-50 right up to the last mile. I felt so good that I picked it up again (intentionally, this time) and ended up running mile 20 in 7:08. WEE!!
That makes two great 20+ mile runs in a row - though they were 3 weeks apart! My recovery time for this long run was almost nil. I was slightly sore in the legs yesterday evening, but I still had no problem negotiating stairs and chasing kitties around the house. When I woke up this morning, it was like no long run had even happened. I'm thrilled!
I tried something different for this training run. I didn't use my Fuel Belt. Not because I don't like it - I just wanted to experiment. Since I did my run on a 6-mile paved loop, I decided to stash a Powerade bottle halfway around the loop. This meant I could stop and drink every 3 miles - my car being at the opposite side of the loop. I took my gels with me in a little waist pouch. Every loop, I took a gel just before reaching my car and then washed it down with water. This worked out perfectly! I may end up doing just this at the marathon - relying on aid stations for fluids, but taking my own gels.
I am ready, marathon.
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