Well, I did it. Even though the race itself hasn't been completed yet, the last long training run has!!! And to not have a big, scary run looming over my head all week anymore is SUCH a good feeling! I can't explain it, but this run was different than almost all of my other training runs. In fact, I haven't had a run this great since the 12-mile run that felt incredible.
Even starting from the week and the night leading up to the run, I didn't have the nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach like I normally do. I was dreading the time it would take, and assumed I would feel like hell at the end, but I had a weird sense of calm. I drank a Gatorade this time the night before the run as well as in the morning before I left. I didn't know if that would do any good or not, but I definitely think it helped me feel more hydrated than normal, because I built up my store of electrolytes. My route this time was less of a mental block than my 20-mile, where I did four 5-mile loops. My friend Sarah, aka the running event planner, had me starting right at my house, jumping on the Monon (which is .2 miles from us), then running north to meet up with her at Main Street in Carmel. She had a Gatorade ready for me there, and then we ran together further north to 161st Street in Westfield, which was my halfway point. From there all I had to do was run home, which is an easy way to think of it. (Even though someone reminded that Broad Ripple to Westfield is a long car drive.) Sarah ran back to Main Street with me, gave me a fresh Gatorade, then I ran the remaining 8.5 miles alone. So, essentially, I broke the run up into thirds. I took two gel packs, and had one at mile 12 and one somewhere between miles 18-19. The entire run felt great.
I would be thrilled just to be able to say that I never hit a wall or had extreme cramps or felt on the verge of death, but my pace was also faster than my 20-mile run...by a whole minute per mile! I had intended to keep a 12-min pace, but since I started later than planned, waiting for the sun to come out, I told Sarah I would bump my pace up to 11-min to get to her faster, then drop back down to 12. I felt so good that I never had to, and although I haven't uploaded all the info from my Garmin yet, I'm pretty sure I had a negative split for this run! The reason I don't know for sure, is because after I passed 15 miles, I refused to look at either my distance or pace on the Garmin. I didn't want to know the distance, even though I could guess pretty well based on where I was on the Monon, but seeing it makes it that much more real. I especially didn't want to know when I passed into that 21st mile, because that uncharted territory is where it always goes downhill for me. I didn't peek until I knew I was within the last half mile, and then, get this.... I was able to speed up at the very end! Unheard of lately!
Perhaps the best part yet... I knew I would have been able to run an extra 3 miles :) Again, a feeling that has been unheard of in my recent long runs where I doubt I could have gone another HALF mile even if being chased by a wild animal.
Minus my legs getting stiffer by the minute post-run, I didn't feel sick afterwards. I did, however, spend the rest of the weekend taking naps, eating, and watching Grey's Anatomy (yayy for Netflix!).
Did I mention it was BEAUTIFUL outside?! Fall is my favorite season anyway for a variety of reasons (my birthday, football, bonfires, anything having to do with pumpkins and apples), but the leaves on the Monon made for a spectacular view. It was a real fall wonderland with the bright orange and yellow leaves swirling from the sky and crunching with each step.
When new runners are just starting out training for a half-marathon, you always hear them say that once they got past 6-8 miles, it became easier for them, and the miles just started ticking away. I would completely agree. Perhaps with full marathon training, you have to make it to 20 before it seems like something you can confidently do. All I know is that however this run happened, it was JUST what I needed.
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