20 Mile Long Run

Distance: 20.01 Miles
Duration: 03:11:58
Average Pace Per Mile: 9:35
Weather: 42 degrees. Wind = S at 2 mph. Overcast and foggy.

Last night, I didn't sleep well. Cheyenne woke up crying at 4 am and walked from her bedroom to ours. "Daddy! Daddy!" That's all she wanted. After that, I tried going back to bed, but I just tossed and turned. I knew I had 20 miles to run and I was a bit nervous about the distance. Sure, I've ran this distance before, but I knew I would be running for over three hours and it was enough to make me restless.

The run went better than I expected. I made it a point to start off running right under a 10 minute mile pace. I didn't want to crash and burn. I needed to pace myself for the long road. Sometimes it helps to mentally break down the distance. Today, I broke it up into two 7 mile runs and then one 6 miler. My Abilene running  buddy, Sherri, also had a 20 mile long run, this morning. I was at mile 6 and got this encouraging message:

I needed to hear words of encouragement because I was debating cutting my run short. 18 miles, instead of 20, but after receiving this text, I made up my mind to run 20. Sherri is also training for Cowtown. She will be running her first marathon.

Once I got home I made a GNC whey protein shake, which by the way, I'm almost out of :( I really don't want to buy another one, simply because it's so expensive. But I love it. I've been rationing the last bit, but soon I will be completely out. I also need to order a replacement part for my small blender. It's leaking big time.