22.45 miles DONE

My long run went GREAT on Saturday morning! It was all I could hope for and more. Here's how it all went down!

Stats -
Distance: 22.45 miles
Time: 3:34:00
Average Pace: 9:31 minutes per mile

On Friday night, my goal was to relax and rest. I ate an early dinner at 5:30pm of whole wheat pasta tossed with marinara sauce and sauteed zucchini and spinach, accompanied by a piece of bread and a glass of water. Chad has been pretty sick all week, and his throat has been really bothering him. Dairy Queen blizzards sounded good to both of us, so we got them and then settled in to watch Miracle, the story of the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team. I've seen it a few times before, so I knew it would be very inspirational!

I actually stayed up until 10:00 watching the movie, which is so late for me! But I was resting on the couch under a blanket with a sleepy dachshund, so I didn't feel guilty for staying up late. I stayed awake for 99% of the movie - the 1% I missed was the final minutes in the 3rd period of the game against the Soviets....argh! That is like the "miracle" part!

I moved to the bed, and slept like a baby until my alarm went off at 4:15am. I hopped out of bed - I was so excited for the run! I got the coffee going and made some oatmeal with 1 tbsp. peanut butter and 1 banana mixed in. I drank a cup of coffee and some water, filled two water bottles (1 was just water, 1 was a water/Gatorade mix), got my ShotBlocks ready and prepared some post-run snacks. Then I got dressed, made some final bathroom visits, and then headed to Wilmore at 5:45am.

Somehow my bladder managed to fill to capacity during the 10 minute drive, but after a quick port-o-potty stop I was ready to hit the roads. I ran 5.8 miles from 6:10-7:00am, and then I met up with friends Sarah, Angela and Lindsay. We ran 10.2 miles together, which put me at 16. Sarah and Angela are training for a half-marathon, and they are doing so great! They will kick butt at the half-marathon in April.

Lindsay is training for a marathon and was feeling good during the 10 miles, so she decided to do another 6 with me. Lindsay is tiny and fast so I was a little concerned about being able to keep up with her for my final 6 miles. But she held back and slowed down a little for me, all the while pushing me to go faster than I would have if I was on my own, which was great!

During the run, I never felt like I needed to slow down or walk. We park and keep all of our water in the police station parking lot which is right in the middle of town, so we looped back by there about 3 times to get water. I ate ShotBlocks every 3 miles, and I never felt like I was on the verge of "bonking" or wearing out. The weather was perfect - sunny, clear and in the 50's - so it wasn't too hot or too chilly.

Towards the end I started to feel pretty fatigued in my back and shoulders, but my legs and lungs felt great during the run. Running with friends makes all of the difference - we kept a nice steady pace, and talked the entire time. This made the time fly by. We actually were at 22.45 when we were about 5 blocks from the police station, so I decided to stop my watch there and walk the rest of the way to stretch out a little before driving home.

I packed an apple, pretzels, chips and a Clif Bar to eat on the way home, but all I wanted was the apple. That was the best apple I have ever eaten! When I got home I drank chocolate milk and ate a few pretzels, and then took Emma on a 30 minute walk to stretch out. I really think this is key - taking a long, slow walk after a long run always helps me to feel much better the next day.

I could not believe how good I felt after the run. I had to run a few errands around Lexington shortly after the run and I didn't feel sore or tired at all! It was crazy! I had planned on laying in the fetal position all day and eating Taco Bell.

Chad and I actually went to Springfield, Kentucky on Saturday night with some friends, and we got home at 11:00pm. 11:00pm! Now that is late for me on a normal day, but after running 22 miles? But I actually was able to stay up that late. Running really gives me so much energy!

I did go straight to bed when we got home though, and I woke up on Sunday with no soreness. My legs felt a little fatigued, like I ran a hard 5k, but it was nothing like I expected. I attribute this to 4 things:

1. Diet
2. Training plan
3. Diet
4. Diet

Yes - your diet really does matter! I was very careful about what I ate all last week - making sure to get in lots of fruits and veggies, and cutting out the junk that I tend to eat like Taco Bell and cookies. I know that baked goods are definitely my weakness - I have such a sweet tooth! So I keep a stash of almonds, apples and Larabars at my desk now to satisfy my sweet cravings. I am 100% convinced that my diet this past week helped with my long run, and I am going to continue introducing more and more raw foods into my diet.

I am really, really looking forward to the marathon! My goal is 4:30, and I know I can meet this if I am able to keep a steady 9:30 pace. I am now in the tapering phase, so I know that my diet and nutrition will play a key role in these next few weeks.

Next up, the Lexington Half-Marathon next Sunday morning!