Back on track!!

So yesterday was my longest run to date -- 18.3 miles! Talking with some of my team mates before the run, I was relieved to hear that I was not the only one who was anxious about this run. Janette, Steph, and I set out together for what we knew would be approximately 3 hours of running....that's right 3 hours of non-stop running!! It was cold as usual, but the sun was shinning and it was a beautiful day.

Rather than thinking about the run as 18 miles, I broke it down into 3 smaller distances -- 5 miles from the gym out to Cleavland Circle, 8 miles through Newton back to Cleavland Circle, and 5 miles back to the gym. At each check point, I would announce when that run was done and we would all move onto the next one. It really seemed to help me mentally thinking of the run this way rather than as a whole.

Surprisingly, I felt great during the run! The hills weren't that bad and having my team mates to talk to made the time go so much faster. I had enough energy at the end to push hard up Beacon Hill and finish the run strong -- good practice for getting up Heartbreak on marathon day. We finished the run in 2 hours and 55 minutes....just under 3 hours -- YEAH!! A bunch of TEAM BMC met up for bagels and coffee after to refuel and talk about the run. As tired as we all were, there was such a great energy between us.....everyone was so excited to have finished this long run.

A few of us have decided to skip the group run next week -- another 10.5 miles up the Newton Hills. Instead, we are planning to drive out to Hopkinton and do the first 12 miles or so of the marathon course. I think we are all so comfortable with the last half, but none of us have seen the first have yet. Veterans of Boston say that the race is really won or lost in the first half where the course is mostly downhill.....if you don't take it easy on the downhills, your legs are going to hate you when they have to switch to the uphills in Newton!!

I am so excited to have pushed through this part of the training.....although its only an extra 2 miles, 18 miles is really in a whole different league. For the first time, I now feel that I am capable of finishing this race -- this run gave me back the confidence that lost during my fall last week.