KristenBegins...

My 20-miler was miserable. First off, it was 60-something degrees and humid. The temperature would have been great if the humidity didn't make me sweat within the first five minutes like I was sitting in a sauna. I knew it was going to be a hard run when I set out but the thickness of the air just made every incline that much harder. X and I stopped close to mile 7 and got our usual fix of water and sports beans. The store clerk we usually see every Saturday at the Mile 11 Circle K was working at the Mile 7 Circle K. He is going to miss us come January. We did usually walk up the steepest hill of our run and then trekked on until our next break around Mile 12. We got our usual pretzels and gatorade and then proceeded on. Somewhere around mile 14 or 15, my body decided it just did not want to go any further. We incorporated a run/walk strategy for the last 5 miles. By mile 19 my body was just done. Every start after stopping became more like an old man's shuffle. It was the longest mile ever. And to think I'll have to go 6 more miles in the marathon.

At a certain point in my run, it becomes such a mind game. My body gets to a certain point where all I can think about is how much I want to stop. I have these little arguments in my head where one part of me is saying just walk and the other part is telling me to keep going. It is so mental at a certain point. Fighting through that is something I struggle with a lot. I tell myself to run just to a certain mailbox and then I can re-evaluate how I feel, or that I won't listen to my time/distance until I reach a certain point. Even achieving those small goals sometimes seems impossible.

My lovely bf dropped off ice and chocolate milk for me that morning, so I was able to do an ice bath after my run. I am not sure if I didn't drink enough water the day before or during my run, but my head ached to the point that I couldn't even eat much of my Firehouse sub after my run. If you know me, there is very little that disrupts my appetite. It is no fun to run 20 miles and not be able to reap the rewards.

I am so glad to be done with the 20. I cannot even express the relief I feel to have it over with. Tapering is on! I just have to get this little bout of hip soreness I am experiencing to go away and I should be good to go. Just 3 more weekend runs and me and Phoenix are on!