The 18 miler

I am happy to report that I did it! Yes. I ran 18 miles. And it took me 3 hours and 20 minutes.

I know, That sounds like an obnoxious amount of time to spending running. Try not to think what you can do in 3+ hours. Because, it has definitely run through my mind. And knowing that I will have 8 more miles after 18, makes it almost comical. I am already figuring that it will take me five hours to complete this marathon.

But, anyway - back to the matter at hand. I had 18 on the schedule and I completed it. Janis, Elisa and I met at Tamarac Road. (Which, by the way was totally clear of snow!) I have to say, I was really nervous. I just wanted to start the run and get it over with. We started our run and the miles ticked by. Traffic was light on the road and it was around 38 degrees. 

We took our gels four times throughout the run and that worked out great. I have to say, those gels are a magic bullet. It's amazing how they make you feel SO much better throughout the run.

The tough part was the second part of the run. For some reason, it got really windy. And the clouds rolled in. And it got a little chilly. But somehow we powered through it. I was a bit sore when I finished. In fact, I was hobbling around for a couple hours. But, today I feel absolutely fine. Nothing hurts. In fact, I am planning on a 3 mile recovery run tomorrow. The fact that I feel fine, tells me that I am training correctly. I have increased my mileage at a slow and easy pace and I feel good.

I feel like the 18 miler was a big deal. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. For the next 8 weeks, I only have two major big runs left on the calendar. I have another 18 miler and then the big 20 miler. All the other weeks are smaller runs that include 11, 15 and 13 milers.

And that's that!