My last Long Run of NYC Training

 

This morning I ran from my brothers house to my house.  My brother lives near the end of the Boston marathon and I live near the beginning. (Kinda cool I just wrote that, I ran through over 7 towns today!!) I had figured it was going to be at least 20 miles.  Unfortunately, I had to add on near my house in order to hit 20.  I thought about just running 18.5, then 19 but eventually just decided to do loops until I hit 20.  I couldn't let you guys down!  (Seriously in my crazy brain, I really thought about the people who might read this blog and the people I told I was doing 20... isn't that crazy?)

My brother and I started off running at 7:40ish. My new Android phone (the Samsung Galaxy..um amazing) told me it was 57 degrees so I figured that was pretty warm.  So I wore a tank and my capri pants.  Yeah, it was seriously cold... and windy.  I did wear gloves and actually kept them on the entire time. But I was really cold for most of this run. COLD! {Wasn't it just two weeks ago that I was HOT during my run?} Other runners I saw running were all bundled up and there I was, dressed like I was running in the heat!

I brought my hand-held Nathan water-bottle with a credit card, cash and my new Nathan fuel belt, filled with fuel and my phone. 

 

 

I liked this belt but I didn't love it.  I kinda felt like I was wearing a fanny pack.  I'm interested in trying out the Spibelt Theo raves about!
I also tried out new fuel today.  I only ended up needed one package of these Energy Chews from Honey Stringer. They rocked!

 

We ran from Beacon Street (around mile 23 of the Boston Marathon), up to Comm Ave.  We hit one pretty big hill early on around Boston College but then got some lovely downhills.  Yep, ran down all the Boston Marathon hills... I enjoyed that.  Around Mile 7, at the end the Subway line, my brother and I parted ways and he took the T back home.  I put my earphones in, had some fuel and kept running. So I was solo from Mile 7 on, which was definitely hard but I was up for the challege.  And I hit a challenge pretty quick.  In Wellesley Hills (probably why they call it Wellesley Hills) I hit a HUGE incline.  It sucked.  But after that it was pretty much smooth sailing (as far as hills go).  When I got to Wellesley center, I narrowily missed wiping out.  I tripped and braced my fall for like 5 strides.  I was probably an inch from landing on my face.  After that, I stopped in my tracks and seriously did a little "Thank You God." Then I went to CVS and bought gatorade, ate more food, and tried to get myself togehter.  I was at Mile 10.50 there.

After that almost fall, I didn't stop again, except for lights until I was about 3.5 miles from my house.  And at that time, I realized there was no way I was going to get to 20 by running straight home, but instead of adding on, I just kept running towards my house (I guess I hoped magic miles would add on to my watch?)  Around mile 17, I went into a Dunkin' and filled up my-half-full-of-gatorade-water-bottle.  I was almost done.  Three more miles.  After adding on close to my house, I was still only at 19.50 so I went past my street for .15 and turned around.  I finally finished my 20 miles in 3:15:58/ 9:48 pace.

Oooo, and besides from being cold the entire time, did I mention the wind? It was WINDY!!! I'm lying down now and I am SORE.  My legs hurts pretty bad but I know I will be fine.  On my run, my right achilles hurt a bit and my left hip flexor, left hamstring and left calf hurt a bit.  But I ran 20 miles, SOMETHING is supposed to hurt right?  It's not supposed to be easy!  And here are the spilts!

20 Miles in 3:15:58/ 9:48 pace (not including stops)

Mile 1: 8:57

Mile 2: 9:19

Mile 3: 9:36 (BC Hill)

Mile 4: 9:24

Mile 5: 9:21

Mile 6: 9:18

Mile 7: 9:18

(Stop One, Mike leaves, I eat and put my headphones in)

Mile 8: 9:59 (Uphill)

Mile 9: 9:20

Mile 10: 9:20

Mile 11: 9:33

(Almost fall at 10.50, stop and buy gatorade and eat more chomps)

Mile 12: 9:46

Mile 13: 9:23

HALF MARATHON: 2:04ish

Mile 14: 9:45

Mile 15: 10:28 

(had to stop at a light, didn't stop watch)

Mile 16: 10:33 (no excuse, just struggling, also walked up part of a small hill and didn't stop watch)

Mile 17: 10:29

(Stopped at Dunkin' to refill gatorade bottle with water)

Mile 18: 10:26

Mile 19: 10:17

Mile 20: 11:26

Yep, finished another 20! Excited about that, but not that happy that I couldn't finish strong.  I feel like no matter how slow or fast I start out, I always start to fade after mile 15.  Does this happy to anyone else?  Three more weeks until my marthon... eeekkk!

Big Shout out my favorite runners...
Jen is running to qualify for Boston tomorrow and Becky is running her first marathon!  Good luck girls... cannot wait to hear how you do! And I LOVE YOUR BLOGS!

Also a big shout out to my old college roomie, Lindsay.  She is running the Long Beach marathon in the morning, hoping to break 4 hours.  She ran Kaui a little over a month ago in the wicked heat in 4:12 so I think she is gong to reach her goal at Long Beach.  Plus I've heard GREAT things about that race.

ALSO,  my running partners Nancy and Leslie are running the Bay State Marathon in the morning and I can't wait to see Nance break four hours!  Bay State is known as a fast race so I am extremely confident in Nancy!