I did it! This past Sunday I ran the full 13.1 miles. I wanted to have covered the distance at least once before race day. It gave me confidence in my progress, and it gave me an idea of what that distance looks and feels like. I learned a few things along the way that will help me prepare for the race.

First, I had noticed on my long runs that I was making it to about 5 or 6 miles before needing water, but then I was having to hydrate way too much after that point. I was running out of my water before the end of my run, and Alex was having to bring me more. This time, I made sure to drink PLENTY of water the day before. I usually drink at least 64 ounces a day, but I made sure to double that. It definitely helped, as I was able to finish out the run with the water I had.

That is something I did right, but I also did something wrong. Before the run I ate two pieces of toast with butter, which was about 250 calories. I now know that I need to eat at least twice that much before the race. Furthermore, if I am going to eat close to 500 calories, I will need to eat early enough that I have time to digest it. My guess is at least an hour before, maybe two hours. Those two pieces of toast were blown through by mile 6, and I was nauseous when I finished. I will need more energy stored up if I am going to keep up race pace.

Lastly, I will need a playlist. One runner I follow on Instagram says she runs every race listening to nothing but her breath. While I do enjoy running without music from time to time, I don't think I am experienced enough to do it at a race. Music calms me, motivates me, and gives me something else to focus on other than nerves and fatigue. I usually play Pandora when I listen to music on my runs, and it usually gets me by. A playlist is important, though, because I don't want to have to skip songs and pray for a good one to come on when I need it. I want to know my music will be music I like and I have personally chosen just for that. It's just one less thing to have to worry about while running.

I may not be confident I can finish the race in under two hours, but I do at least feel prepared for the race. I know what I want, what I need, and I know I have trained to the best of my ability. It's also nice to know that even if I ran the race at my easy pace, I could finish it well under the three hour cutoff time, having finished those 13.1 miles in 2:18.

I leave you with some words of wisdom. I thought of this on a run the other day:

Running is like life in many ways. When I started out running, I would run the same loop around my neighborhood. I knew it well, it wasn't too difficult, and it was safe. As I started to increase my mileage, I was forced to look elsewhere for places to run. I knew I needed places that would challenge me. In doing so, I was forced to get out of my comfort zone. I had to run routes for the first time, not always knowing what to expect. Many of those routes were not flat like my neighborhood route but had hills. That's how life is. If you want to grow, there comes a point when you have to explore. You have to change up your route. You can't keep running the same loop in life because it's easy and safe. Yes, you will find hills along the way, and it will be challenging, but you will be better because of it. Just as there will be uphill times, there will also be downhill times. There are times on a run when you are on the last stretch of the last mile, it's downhill, the wind is in your hair, and you feel accomplished. You did what you set out to do. Similarly, there will be times in your life when you have worked hard for something, you are seeing the fruit of your labor, and all seems right in the world. But you can't get there unless you change your route and be comfortable with the "hills" of life.

Sorry this post doesn't have a lot of visuals. I have been slacking in that area. Anyway, that's all for now.

Talk soon!

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