Well, here we are again, catching up. This time I'm a little more grounded and feeling positive about life (and running) again. We're settling down into the new house more each day, and I'm now over the 10 day cold I came down with after those two frazzled, emotional weeks (no surprise there). Since my last post, we had another vacation, this time to Florida with friends. It was a low-key trip, mostly spent lounging on either the beach or the couch--in other words exactly what I needed. I was sitting there watching the 7th episode of "How I Met Your Mother" on a rainy day when I realized I couldn't recall the last time I had a day to do nothing. Nowhere to be, no work obligations of any kind, no run to get in....the sheer beauty of nothing. It was a blatant reminder that I have to make a point of relaxing and taking care of my mind/body, especially in this time of peak training.
I did get one run in on vacation. Mostly hills (who knew Florida had them?) and 90% humidity...enough said. But any 6-mile run on vacation is a good one.
Now, I'm staring that 20-mile training run in the face once again. It's scheduled for tomorrow, and as much as I've been trying to psych myself out all week and say "it's no big deal," it is. I feel much more prepared than last time--zero plans tonight except eating a hearty plate of spaghetti and going to bed early, and no plans tomorrow after the run until later evening. Still, I don't know if I'm intimidated more by how it's going to feel or just the pure length of time it's going to take. It will be a solo run too--no running buddies available, but maybe that's what I need after all this. Time to myself (4 hours to be exact) to mute the outside world and tune in to how I'm feeling. And really nailing down a pace that I would feel comfortable with on race day.
I've talked before about how much planning goes into long runs. This time, aside from the usual gatorade/water/gel pack coordinating, it occurred to me that my iPhone's battery might not last the whole 4 hours. So now I'm bringing an additional iPod, and while I'm at it, an extra shirt and probably an entire first aid kit.
Today Sarah said something that was supposed to be encouraging: "Mechelle, you know you CAN do it...it's just a matter of powering through." But in all reality, I DON'T know if I can. It's a distance I've never done before. Sure, I made it through 17, so logic says 3 more should be ok. But the thing with running is you never know until it's done.
But it's just 20 miles...no big deal.
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