Year of the Sneaker: 20 miles

I'm the one in the bright yellow

So yesterday I Scott ran the furthest we have ever ran: 20 miles! I have to admit, I was nervous at first, waking up every hour anticipating this feat. I had eaten pasta the night before, got a good 8 hours a sleep and mentally prepped myself. It went surprisingly well! By mile 3 I settled into a good rhythm thinking about my day (i.e. "What am I going to wear tonight?" " I hope The Vow doesn't make me cry" " JESUS! I'M GETTING MARRIED IN 10 MONTHS!!!" )

Action shot

 I had made a mental note at mile 10 to take a 'picture' of how I felt when we took the first loop around Chino Hills High School: "I feel great! Nothing hurts, fantastic!" Well, see this was before we hit Soquel Canyon Road (yes I said Canyon) for the second time. Although I felt better the 2nd time around, I think it definitively took the wind out of my sails. 

Mile 17-18 (the second loop around Chino Hills High School) I began to experience muscle fatigue. I couldn't feel my thighs, and at some point I thought I wouldn't be able to lift my leg anymore. This may have happened because I didn't drink as much electrolytes as I should have.  Our tight knit pace group started disbanding. When we were done I felt a huge sense of accomplishment, and actually felt better than when I finished my 1/2 marathon. 

What did 20 miles teach me?

* Don't get cocky with your runs. The means: stretch, eat right, hydrate. Because just because you've done 13 miles multiple times a 1/2 marathon can still hand you your ass. 

* If I can do 20 miles, what's 6 miles more? (Granted, they say the last 6.2 miles are the hardest)

* 26.2 miles is going to be difficult, it's going to suck. But if Marathon's were easy everyone would do them.