From worst to best.

Two weeks ago I ran that horrible 20-miler. It was tough -- for many reasons. The two biggest reasons were the humidity and my stomach cramping issues. After that run, I wondered (several times) if I was meant for the marathon at all, let alone a marathon with a time goal.

I wondered and every time I did, I told myself that, yes, I'm meant for it. Now is the time to go for it. Go for that marathon PR. I mean, why not? Right? Right.

So I forged ahead and have had some rocking runs since.

Sunday's 22 mile run was the best yet.

I ran with people I've never run with before: Catherine, Rachel and Jen. Catherine was with us for about 5 miles and then looped back to finish with 14. Rachel, Jen and I continued on. We started in one county, crossed the bridge over the river, and ran on into another county. High adventure for this happy runner!

Mile 1: 10:03
Mile 2: 9:58
Mile 3: 9:28
Mile 4: 9:16
Mile 5: 9:51
Mile 6: 10:20
Mile 7: 9:53
Mile 8: 9:46
Mile 9: 9:41
Mile 10: 9:38

After 10 miles, we popped into a 5K in Washington Park. It was such an odd thing to do, but it worked. It got us to pick up our pace on tiring legs. It also forced us to hold back, because we knew we'd have 9 miles left to run after the 5K.

The 5K:
Mile 11: 8:39
Mile 12: 7:52
Mile 13: 8:01

After the race: Me, Jen, Rachel. Yes, I was wearing gloves. My hands were freezing on Sunday!

We ran together for the race, finished, and ran back to where we'd started. We went a different route back to the start, which happened to be super-duper hilly. But, no matter. We conquered those hills!


Mile 14: 10:40
Mile 15: 11:25
Mile 16: 10:43
Mile 17: 10:24
Mile 18: 11:31
Mile 19: 10:16

With 3 miles to go, something happened to me. My body just needed to go. I felt myself pick up the pace a little and I went with it. I worried for about half a second that I would not be able to hold on to the pace, but deep-down I knew I could.

Mile 20: 9:48
Mile 21: 8:47
Mile 22: 9:18

And I did. I ran such a solid last few miles. It felt awesome!!!

Hooray!

Actually, the whole run felt awesome. I loved the company and our pacing and I really enjoyed the mid-run race break.

Solid Sunday 22-miler = total confidence. 

Now, my taper is right around the corner. I'm ready!

Enjoy the rest of the week, everyone!

August recap.

Training got real in August.

My long runs were longer and my overall mileage climbed higher than it has been in years. I committed to running more in the morning and that's what I did. I had an awesome race/long run in mid-August and ran some strong workouts. I also had just about the crappiest long run ever -- Sunday's 20-miler.

Sure, I got it done. But, man-oh-man if it wasn't hard.

I don't know exactly what it was that caused my problems, all I know is that the run did not work for me. I cramped after eating my energy chews and felt like I was going to throw up for most of the rest of the run. It really kinda sucked.

And it totally messed with my head. You know, in that why-on-earth-am-I-even-thinking-about-running-another-marathon kind of way.

I need a strong rebound run this week to help me get back on track!

While I work on making that happen, here's a look at my month in miles:

Running (miles): 143.1
Races: 1 -- the Clove Run
Cross training: ha!

And now it is September. The month of back to school. The month of soccer all the time. The month of peak training AND the beginning of my taper. The month before the marathon.

Exciting!!!

Enjoy the rest of the week, everyone!