On Friday evening, Kristi and I headed up to Edinboro. It was so nice to go back and visit. I just love that place! We caught up with some friends on Friday night, which was great. We were up early on Saturday preparing for the day. I was lucky enough to ride one of the Skelton's horses, which was awesome! I love riding horses. I know I made Big John mad once, but he got over it, and luckily, when he got mad and bucked, I stayed on! :) My parents, Kadi and Vivian even drove down for the day to catch the Boro football game. It was great to see my parents and Kadi, and especially great to see sweet little Viv. She handled her first college football game like a pro! (She's already been to several high school games, so she knew what to expect!) We tailgated in the parking lot before the game with some friends, and then headed back to the Skelton's post game (after an exciting, but unfortunate Edinboro over time loss) for some more food and fun. Of course, the time went WAY too quickly, and Kristi and I were back on the road to Virginia by 6. We made it home around 11, just to get ready to get up and run 20 miles on Sunday!
Ok...so the 20 mile run. I wanted to be out the door by 7, which gave me plenty of time to get up, have a cup of coffee and eat a little something. Kristi agreed to ride her bike with me, and we left right on time. It was a chilly start, but turned out to be a beautiful morning. I was totally in my own head before I even started! (does that make sense?!) I kept telling myself I've done 18 and this is going to be fine, but I was a basket case! Worried that it would be REALLY REALLY hard, or I would have to walk, or I wouldn't be able to do it, etc. But I talked myself out of all of this, and did just fine! So I'll cut to the chase...I got in a bad mood around mile 15. I wanted it to be over. I got over that bad mood about mile 16. I started to get annoyed around mile 17.5. I was hurting pretty bad by 19 and the last mile was slightly tough, but I made it through! The first 13 miles were great- I felt good. I tried a few snacks and gummy type things, which seemed to work well, and I was feeling pretty good overall. I'm not going to lie- I was MISERABLE when I finished. The thought of 6.2 more miles after that made me feel sick. I know I can do it, and I will do it- but still...6 more miles?! As most of you know, I'm no speed demon, although this training has made me a bit faster at a shorter distance, I always want to have a goal time. I have talked to so many people who have run marathons, and they all told me NOT to set a time goal- just finish the race was their suggestion. I obviously have to be hard-headed, and tell myself I want to do this race in less than 5 hours. I know, I know...that seems like an eternity to some of you, but hey, like I said, I'm S-L-O-W! For a moment during the 20 mile run I told Kristi the 5 hour idea was out the window...I know it was my emotions getting the best of me, but I was obviously not thinking clearly! By the next day, (probably by that evening) the 5 hour goal was back in my mind. I finished the 20 miles in 3 hours 30 minutes, which would give me 90 minutes to run 6.2 miles, which I would hope I could do, but I guess I've never run 6.2 miles after I've run 20. Now...don't get me wrong, I know ALOT can happen on November 7th. I know that I can't be disappointed if something goes wrong and I don't meet this 5 hour goal, but since I'm a pretty competitive person, I'm keeping it in my head. I promise not to go out too fast- that's another thing some of my running buddies/mentors have told me over and over. I am thankful for all the experienced marathon runners who have listened to me, and offered me tips and also to have made it this far through the training. It was a big time commitment, with school, coaching, etc, but it's starting to pay off, and I'm excited for the race. I don't think I will EVER do this again, and I haven't even completed the race yet, but I'm still pretty sure about that! :)
Jeff, Kristi and I went for soup, salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden for lunch on Sunday, which was so yummy. I think I ate 20 bowls of salad! (kidding...sort of!) I even treated myself to a pumpkin pie blizzard from DQ, because after all, I did run 20 miles! :)
Of course, Monday morning came too soon, but it was a great weekend, full of laughs, good food, friends and family and also full of self-accomplishment!
Hope you're having a great week.
xxoo
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