This morning was my last "long" run of marathon training. 8 miles. It felt good, especially compared to last week when I wanted to crawl when I got to 8 miles of a 12 miler. This time I actually felt myself sprinting at the end and went a little further than I needed to. I peeked down at my Garmin and it said 8.04 miles and I couldn't figure out why I was sprinting so I stopped. Even while running I manage to be a dork.
I used this run to help me break in a new pair of shoes. I ran 5 treadmill miles on them the other day and then 8 road miles on them today. I'll get another 10 or so miles on them and hope they don't tear me up on race day. I sure wish I wouldn't have waited so long to buy a new pair of shoes. Oh, well. They felt pretty good and I guess 20 or so miles is a decent enough break-in period.
And now for the really exciting news: I was selected to participate in Runners' Lounge's 21-Day Stick Challenge. When I go to the expo at the Baltimore marathon this week I'll get fitted for a free Stick and I'll write about how it's helping out on the Runners' Lounge site over the next few weeks. I've always wanted to try out The Stick, and now I'll get to, in exchange for words, of which I have many.
In fact, here is the link to my "before" story. Notice how it's much longer than everyone else who has written one. Heh.
I also drove the marathon course this morning. It's going to be challenging, no question. But if I can make to 20 miles I think I'll be ok. I'm also going very slowly and running with a pace group, so hopefully I'll maximize my chances for success.
Close enough to start seeing weather reports now...
Oh cool! I saw that on the runners lounge, but I'm a little far away to get there! Congrats - you will post that on your blog - I have been thinking about the stick as well.
ReplyDeleteDang, I have one of those in my studio and had no idea what is was for. I hate to admit that I haven't investigated that particular piece of equipment yet. Now I will. Looking forward to hearing how it works for you and others.
ReplyDeleteGood luck at the marathon. This will be my father's first B-More marathon. He's a marathon race-walker. Commenting on the hills, it's gonna be a tough one. But beautiful city scenery. Enjoy the test.
ReplyDeleteBre: They said you didn't have to be in Chicago to participate. You should have given it a shot.
ReplyDeleteCathy: Glad to teach you something new about fitness equipment. ;-)
daily breather: Thanks. Your father is far more impressive than I am. I'd much rather run 26.2 than walk it quickly. I can't imagine the screaming pain in my shins that would cause.
The sad thing (for me) is that he'll probably finishing race-walking the marathon before I finish running it.