I'm not just being a fat kid, I swear. Today was my 17-mile long run day, the one I've been nervous about for weeks now. I knew I could probably squeeze out 15 miles last weekend, because the Timberline half marathon was actually 14 miles on a trail. Then on Sunday and Monday I backpacked 26 pretty tough miles. Last night I was still moving furniture at work at midnight (don't ask). My mid-week training was lacking to say the least. I was a touch worried about today.
This was the biggest mental hurdle I've had to cross yet. I got pretty pissy around mile 16, mostly due to accidentally cutting my loop too short and having to backtrack. But the stretch over the St John's Bridge and down Willamette Blvd was lovely! It took me three hours and seven minutes, which is an overall 11 minute mile pace. I'm not thrilled with that, but it's average for first time marathoners. When I hit the half marathon mark today, I was at 2:22 -- even if I was able to keep that pace would put me closer to five hours than four for the marathon. Arbitrarily, I have decided that I would like to finish under 4:30, but that's not very realistic when looking at my half marathon pace. I have over a month to improve my speed, though.
I really like this whole marathon training thing. I have little time for anything else between this and tearing up the Washington trails. My sommelier studies have been sacrificed and my dogs seem to have forgotten who I am, true. But if it means I can eat a block of cheese and not gain weight, or that I can motor up a glacier with a backpack on almost as fast as my hiking buddy, I'll take it. Maybe there are more of these things in my future...
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