20 miles down and 3 weeks to go!

Hi all

So, on Sunday, the day of my glorious 30th birthday, I spent the morning running the 20 miler. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. (I think that the anticipation was the worst part!) I was doing alright until about mile 17, which is when the pain set in and I ended up just powering to the end. My parents arrived about an hour after I finished to take me to lunch, and the rest of the afternoon, I felt like I had turned 130 years old instead of 30, but overall, I think my body could have reacted far more worse than it did.

With regards to time, I finished in a time of 3 hours and 12 minutes (9:36 mile splits). I also ate 4 gel packs on the run. (This means I ate about 100 g of carbs packed in 4 tiny gel packs; not pleasant, but totally necessary.) A few things that amazed me about the time, first, when I looked at my watch at 13 miles, I realized that I was running about a minute faster than I did during the 1/2 marathon a few weeks ago. Also, the last few miles were just as fast as the first two. I have said all along that my main goal through all of this has been consistency, and was glad that I was able to maintain that though the race.

For those who don't know about marathon training, you actually max at 20 miles during training. This means, I won't run any longer distances until the day of the actual marathon. As I look back on this race, I think that the mental challenge in preparing is greater than the physical one. While physically I have remained in good health, there has always been a mental hurdle to overcome during the last 2-3 miles. I'm hoping that this won't be any different during the actual race.

There is now less than 3 weeks until the big day! I must say that I am starting to get nervous for the big push to the end. It is hard to believe that this has been going on since June. I also don't know what I will do without the weekly trainings. They seem like such a basic part of my life now.

Well, there is the latest update. I've attached the newest pictures from the last race. (I know that they aren't the most flattering, but given the circumstances, I think I'm allowed a pass.) I'll make sure to follow up with at least one more update before the big day!