18 miles

Yesterday was my 2nd hardest training run. I’m happy to say that I did great! I took it very slow, like ~ 12 minute miles, and I ran pretty much the whole time!

To prepare, I invited my family and friends to the trail that I would be running. Not everyone is a runner but I thought that if I knew I would run into someone walking or biking, it would keep me running.

We got to the trail at 7am. My friends Erin and Jami would start out with me. My friend Michael would park at the opposite end of the 8 mile trail and we’d leave coolers for each other with ice and Gatorade so that we’d have some nutrition every 4 miles.

Jami and Erin ran the first 8 with me and it went by so fast! It’s such support to run with friends. I passed Michael twice on the trail as we purposely ran opposite of each other so we’d run into each other during our later miles.

Unfortunately, Michael hurt his knee during his run :(. He waited for me at his car ~ mile 12 so I could still have some cold Gatorade. He’s the sweetest person and I feel awful for him about his knee. I hope he can still run the marathon. As a total side story, his dad told him he doesn’t have a runners physique and shouldn’t attempt a marathon. I’ve run with him several times and he’s a much better runner than I am! I am secretly rooting for him to prove his dad way wrong 🙂

For nutrition, I had Gu every 4 miles. I don’t like Gu. I’ve never had so much before 🤢 but I think it definitely made a good difference in my energy.

I was running at the end when I crossed at the 18 mile mark. I stretched a bit and drove home! Today I am a little sore but plan to do yoga which will help.

As a mother, I feel the need to point out that this marathon would be impossible without my family support. My mom kept my son while I did my 18 miles since my husband was out of town. Previous to this, my hubby or mother in law keep my son while I get in all my miles. I would not have this opportunity to train if it wasn’t for their support 🥰