Yes, it's a month away. But I'm PSYCHED (which is a word I've always associated with a little craziness, and I think it's particularly appropriate in this situation.)
So, let me tell you how this 18.75 went down.
The most I've ran before that was 15 miles, which I only had done once the week before. That 15 was painful at the end. My legs were gelatin-like, and I was also getting really thirsty. ( I had never carried any water during my runs, which is something I'm thinking about.)
I told myself that if I could do 17 miles, then I could do reach 20+ miles a couple weeks before the marathon, which means that I have enough mileage to finish the race. So off I went.
First of all, I tried to leave early (around 8:30AM), but it was already warm. At the end of that day, the temperature rose to 90+ degrees. It was HOT. I would have left earlier than 8:30AM, but I had a late night on Friday working on some things and also chatting with my roommate, who I rarely see.
My legs felt like deadbolts the first 3 miles. This is often the case, but usually by the 2nd mile, I pick up. The 1st mile is always the worse, but on that day, I struggled a little longer. After around mile 6-7, I felt a good pace, although I was aware that I was going considerably slow. I decided that if I was going to last until the end, it's OK to go slow, so I trucked along. I went a little further than my planned route, and really pushed toward the end, but suddenly felt light around 15-16. It's funny how that happens. Sometimes, the last 2 miles are the fastest and the lightest.
I finished 18.25 miles in a little under 3 hours (and by little, I mean seconds), and it was already 89 degrees outside. I decided that I had it in me, and signed up 2 days later.
I know I said I'd never do a marathon. WEeeellllll... yeah. Woops! This week, I'm taking it easy and going to bust out 13 miles. Next week........ 20.
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